


Starfleet Jedi

by Rangerfan58



Series: Starfleet Jedi [1]
Category: Star Trek, Star Wars - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-02 06:46:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 71
Words: 159,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11503935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rangerfan58/pseuds/Rangerfan58
Summary: Gungan speech makes no sense, when it pops up it will start like movies and then transition to normal speaking with you having to imagine how they are speaking in the movies.there's a unique thing about her that you'll learn later on in the story, military time will be used oh and for one section of the story I guess it would be considered AU, at a certain section when it states that she simply appears to disappear she's going at Ninja speed like in the anime Naruto, another part will seem like Avatar the last air bender but that's not quite the case as you'll find out in the future due to the fact that an element will be used in the story that was never really used in the anime as far as I remember and if it is used in the anime it's extremely rare and as such isn't really considered an element that is mentioned in the intro of Avatar the last air bender and asterisks as always denote alien and sign languages and this time also mental contact





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Gungan speech makes no sense, when it pops up it will start like movies and then transition to normal speaking with you having to imagine how they are speaking in the movies.there's a unique thing about her that you'll learn later on in the story, military time will be used oh and for one section of the story I guess it would be considered AU, at a certain section when it states that she simply appears to disappear she's going at Ninja speed like in the anime Naruto, another part will seem like Avatar the last air bender but that's not quite the case as you'll find out in the future due to the fact that an element will be used in the story that was never really used in the anime as far as I remember and if it is used in the anime it's extremely rare and as such isn't really considered an element that is mentioned in the intro of Avatar the last air bender and asterisks as always denote alien and sign languages and this time also mental contact

The Starfleet vessel was being chased by enemies when suddenly all of them, the ship and her pursuers both were hit by an invisible force and everyone went flying every where's and then suddenly stopped. Once things settled down the captain of the ship asked for a full situation report

"Captain we appear to have taken minor hull damage and several decks are reporting injuries, repair crews are taking care of the damage as we speak and it appears that all injuries are minor"

"Where are we Lt.?"

The Lt. gives the coordinates and then an Ensign speaks up

"Wait a minute that can't be right can it? I mean we couldn't possibly be..."

The Ensign starts pushing buttons and then groans in realization

"Captain I would suggest you  _don't do anything_  in a minute"

"Who are you to give orders or suggestions to the Captain, Ensign?"

"Commander I am trying..."

Suddenly another person spoke up

"Sirs on the view-screen"

Everyone sees a ship that no one recognized, that is no one except the Ensign who brought out a strange device and pushed a button

"Red squadron this is Jedi Knight Ashland Portland do not attack, repeat this is Jedi Knight Ashland Portland do not attack"

"Roger Knight Portland, this is Red Squadron leader Niflon, do you or the strange vessel you're on require any assistance?"

"Negative Red leader we're fine, though I myself have some serious explaining to do now to the people on board this vessel, I need  _you_  to inform the Senate and Master Korran about my return and that the mission is...partially compromised"

"What about Master Skywalker?"

"Don't involve him yet Red leader, if I recall correctly he'll be with the Senate anyways and you know how he is after a Senate meeting, oh and don't try and reach me on this comm-link frequency because for now I won't answer it, I'll inform either you or whoever takes over for you when I can communicate again Knight Portland out"

Ensign/Knight Portland ends the conversation with a sigh and sees looks from the senior command crew that demanded answers

"Ensign Portland, what is going on here?"

"Commander if I may I think it's best if I explain everything to the command crew in the observation lounge where only those who have proper security clearance hears what I have to say" (sighs) "and Commander this is going to be quite possibly a very long debrief so please understand why I request right here and now that I get no interruptions until after I finish my story"

They go to the observation lounge where the Ensign starts her story the easy way

"First off I should tell you that Starfleet Command is aware of what I am about to tell you and you can confirm all of this with them, once we get communications back up that is. The second thing is that I should start six years ago when I came to Starfleet Academy for testing to enter the Academy. When I went to the Academy they asked me why I wanted to join Starfleet and so I told them the truth about myself and my purpose, I am what is known as a Jedi Knight in the New Republic, and no I am not going into detailed explanation of what a Jedi is right now, if you want to know that look into the Command records later or ask me after this debrief because otherwise this might take too long even for me, as I was saying before I am a Jedi Knight in the New Republic and I went to Earth to start a means of communication between our two galaxies. After I passed the rigorous tests I then went into the Academy but was watched a lot closer than most cadets due to my...unique abilities, I was also given several days a week for any personal training I may have needed to do, and for my first year at the Academy I did major debriefing with both Starfleet Command and the Federation gaining information about them and how they conduct things and them learning things about the New Republic. Once information was finally picked through completely I continued my Starfleet training for the next three years all the while doing my best to contact my superiors to give them updates, with Starfleet's permission, but until now have failed but since we suspected it might be a technology thing that will be easily rectified soon enough. There is much more about me and my abilities due to being a Jedi but I will tell you that it explains some of my mysterious headaches that I never seeked treatment for"

"They are part of your abilities aren't they?"

"Yes Captain they are, it is either because I was unknowingly, by the people we were in contact with, around what's called Force inhibitors, getting intense visions, or feeling what we Jedi call a disturbance in the Force"

"What about what happened earlier today before we were met by that, Red squadron leader, why did you seem so surprised?"

"Simple Commander because I thought I would never see this place again or if I did I would be much older and most likely retired by then. I would have continued to try and reach my people and hope to reach them eventually but considering I had no luck while in the Academy I stayed realistic"

"Is there anything else we need to be aware of Ensign?"

"Actually yes, now that my being a Jedi is out in the open may I please get my other weapon out of my quarters? Starfleet Command gave me special dispensation in regards to the weapon once I explained it's importance to me but I never have carried it openly, either at the Academy or on this ship. Command and I both agreed that the weapon should be hidden at all costs until I was ready to reveal myself to you, once that happened should more Jedi decide to join Starfleet they will be allowed to wear their weapons openly as long as they follow certain rules Command and I both came up with early on in the debriefings after the weapon's importance was revealed"

"Very well but I want you back on the bridge within fifteen minutes is that understood?"

"Captain I'll only need ten due to the fact that I already have a specially modified belt waiting and I just need to switch it out with this one"

"Very well then ten minutes, what are we supposed to do should that weird ship or another one like it come back?, we can't communicate with it"

"Don't worry, you forgot I gave a command for them to wait until I gave them the signal that I was ready to communicate with them again, they won't do anything without orders and seeing as how I'm aboard so long as you don't act hostile towards them they won't act hostile towards you"

"Guess I did forget about it, is there anything we should be aware of in case we are threatened?"

(Sighs) "I don't know Captain, the X-Wing pilots won't do anything but I don't know about anyone else, I also don't know if the weapons will affect us or if our weapons will affect them I think for now it might be best to simply stay put until further notice"

"Very well Ensign, ten minutes once we leave this room"

"Yes sir"

Three minutes later the Ensign was back in her quarters and took out a cylindrical item from a drawer and also a belt, she took off the old belt, put on the new one and then made sure everything was in it's proper place including the non Starfleet issued item and the Ensign finally felt whole again for the first time in six years, because even though she had carried the weird item for secret training it was just that secret, but now she could wear it openly and that made her feel much better. Another three minutes later she was back on the bridge with two minutes to spare

"Two minutes to spare Ensign good timing now then what's that object that I don't recognize on your belt?"

The Commander was pointing to her lightsaber

"Thanks Commander, this" (takes out the object) "would be the weapon of the Jedi called a lightsaber, I keep it on me at all times because this weapon, like our phasers, is the Jedi's life, it can deflect blaster bolts, other lightsabers and even our phaser weapons, it can cut through steel like butter and cut a person in half and not leave any blood due to the fact that the weapon will cauterize the wound, it can also leave burn marks if we so choose. I am warning you all now if you see this weapon and the blade is red, run away because that is a very dangerous person, if you touch my weapon without my permission Starfleet has given me permission to choose the punishment for touching said weapon except in the case of my death or unconsciousness. Now then as soon as I use the comm-link we will most likely have an escort so I would appreciate it if you keep the weapons powered down and follow the exact instructions given you through me it really is for everyone's safety that we do so"

They do indeed follow the Ensigns precise instructions and seven hours later they were at Coruscant and there was a lot of talk going on in the Senate. Finally though the Chancellor was the one who managed to set things in order

"Look Knight Portland, how do you suggest we get in contact with the Federation?"

"Simple we combine our two technologies and make contact with them, you guys gave me a mission to contact them and they gave me a mission to try and regain contact with you guys, and if it happened on a Starfleet vessel than I was authorized to combine our two technologies so that we can finally have communication between the two groups"

"Get to it Knight Portland, though it looks like you'll have a long night ahead of you"

"Actually Chancellor now that I have access to more than just my old comm-link we can have this done in fifteen minutes"

"Do it"

Fifteen minutes later everything was set up


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay we'll know within a minute if it's worked. Ensign Portland to Starfleet Command respond please"

They did indeed get a quick response and they see a person in the same uniform as the rest of the group and the Knight show up in color

"Ensign Portland there you guys are, when we lost contact we thought..."

"Sorry Admiral we lost all ship communication, oh by the way say hello to the New Republic, we managed to get back into space I am more familiar with through some sort of space eddie/wave thing that I don't even know what really happened"

"Good work Ensign and since I see that lightsaber on your person I can safely assume you've told the command crew of the  _Texas_  the truth about you?"

"Indeed I did sir, and now you yourself can make the offer to Master Skywalker right beside me instead of us doing relay"

"What offer is that Knight Portland?"

The Admiral is the one to speak up however

"The offer of having Jedi join Starfleet, and now that we see the members of the New Republic we would like to offer an alliance between the Federation and the Republic and yes Ensign I've been authorized by the President to make that offer we just never told you because we were never sure if you would get home"

The Chancellor is the one to speak this time

"Admiral I believe both groups need time to discuss this, as I believe Knight Portland has explained to you that the Jedi are a Peacekeeping organization"

"Yes she did and we at Starfleet respect that, in fact we are mainly space explorers but due to the dangers of the galaxy we had to become a military force, but our primary goal is to work things out peacefully if at all possible"

Luke is the one to speak up

"I understand Admiral like the Chancellor said there is much to think about and discuss"

"Master Skywalker, Admiral I think it might be best if I act as mediator and ambassador between the two groups and...if there are going to be Jedi in Starfleet someone who understands both sides would be the best person to explain what rules are already in effect and help come up with more rules if need be, plus we're also going to have to figure out what we're going to call ourselves at all times and a few other issues that  _you_  are already aware of Admiral"

"I know Ensign we'll also need to figure out a way to communicate without a weird marriage of technologies  _and_  getting to that part of the galaxy in a timely fashion after all it took you what, a year and a half to reach us Ensign?"

"Sounds about right Admiral, how we got here so fast is slightly unexplained but I will tell you it happened in a battle with the Vorta and Jem'Hadar"

"I thought we had a peace treaty with those guys"

"We do Admiral, they openly declared themselves as rogues"

"That would do it and Ensign I agree to your suggestion of being an Ambassador between our two groups after all you're doing it anyways might as well just make it official, though only until we find a better solution due to your unique situation of being a Starfleet officer"

Luke also agrees and tells Portland that they had a meeting in two days

"But Master Skywalker..."

"The reason why Knight Portland is because you just got back after a fight and looks like you need some time in a medical facility, besides some of the people I need to make such a decision aren't here yet but they shall be soon, and what did you mean by the mission being partially compromised?"

"Easy Master Skywalker not only did we not have an easy means of communication but only the command crew of the ship and the highest people of Starfleet Command really know about us and I had to reveal myself rather suddenly to my crew after knowing them for only a few months instead of getting to know them better and how they might react so sudden situations or new information not necessarily needed but certainly appreciated"

"Understood"

Two days later a huge conversation and debate came up that lasted until the evening, not counting the afternoon meal. Finally though the council came to several decisions that everyone agreed with

"Very well I will tell Command what we've all agreed on tomorrow, however and I think they would agree, the two of you need to figure out how we're addressed together, are we the rank we have in Starfleet or the rank we have in the Order or something else entirely new?"

"Agreed that can wait until tomorrow right now we're all exhausted and need to meditate on the changes we're making to our order independent of the Senate"

"Master Skywalker I will not be available, my Captain needs me to help debrief the rest of the crew on the new situation and rules now in place now that I am acknowledged fully as a Jedi within the crew"

"Understood Knight Portland it might be best that you're not here tomorrow when we talk to the rest of the order so that they understand that you did not influence our decisions but helped us understand what you do now and helped lay down ground rules that the Federation should accept"

That's exactly what happens to over the next few days. The  _Texas_  crew easily accepts the new status of the Ensign and also agrees to the rules that she laid down for her lightsaber, they were scared of the weapon anyways and didn't want anything to do with it. Everyone else involved in the new status quo talked in private about the situation, in the Senate they came to a final agreement with the Federation and started integrating the technology so that talks would be more frequent and talked about the possibility of Federation representatives in the Senate. For the Jedi it was explained that Knights without Padawans and Masters were the only ones allowed to join Starfleet and that's where Portland was needed actually when people argued, so she quickly came to help calm them down

"Easy, the reason why is because there  _is_  an age limit to joining the Academy, besides they prefer people who have full control over their abilities so that there are no...accidents with our abilities whenever we feel strong emotions, besides being in Starfleet is  _dangerous_  even when we are on peaceful missions things can go wrong and violence can break out, just like Jedi missions"

"Just so you know if you do join Starfleet whatever your ship is assigned will be your primary mission but the Jedi Council can occasionally give you side missions or you can self assign missions depending on what you sense through the Force. And all Jedi who join Starfleet will now be called Sentinels, with the ranks going from Probation to Senior, all Jedi in the Academy will be known as Probation Sentinels as you move up the ranks you will eventually be Senior Sentinels, Portland you are the first and currently only Entry Sentinel. Due to the fact that you have ranks all to ourselves the levels will go Probation, Entry, Freshman, Sophomore, First Junior, Second Junior, High Junior, Senior, and promotion through the Sentinel ranks will differ from normal Starfleet promotions as well, your pips will also differ from the normal pips denoting rank. But first you must decide if you want to join Starfleet, and then you have to pass the entry tests like all other Academy hopefuls, Sentinel Portland will explain the rules that you will have to follow should you be allowed entry into the Academy"

Portland takes over from there

"All right, for the lightsabers they are to remain by your side  _at all times_  to prevent accidents, they are not to be out except during lightsaber training or a credible threat to the safety of others, all practicing will be held either in what's called a holodeck or designated training areas, and no one but other Jedi are to touch the weapons unless something happens to us, that rule will apply to your assignments after graduation as well. For the phasers once you graduate they will be locked permanently on stun, you can choose the level of stun power you want but it will not go higher. The rest of the rules are actually Starfleet regulations that you will learn while in the Academy"

"This situation is new to all of us and not everyone will want to join which we understand and some of you can't join yet, however no matter what you choose I hope you'll uphold Jedi ideals whether you go or stay"

"You should know that normally it will take at least a year and a half to reach Earth for testing and entering the Academy but hopefully we'll be able to cut that time in at least half soon enough. For now Master Skywalker, my crew and I are temporary ambassadors to the Republic and the Jedi until it's finalized about having Representatives for the Federation and they can actually get here"

"Very well Sentinel Portland, does your crew know about your new rank and title?"

"Yes, they were the ones who actually told me seeing as how the healers put me in a bacta tank for a few hours after lightsaber practice"

"What did the initiate do?"

"More like what I did Master Skywalker, I set the training robots to their highest level and went up against all of them, unfortunately I forgot about the fact that I was still slightly recovering from what happened to bring my ship and crew here in the first place"

"Very well Sentinel Portland are you sure you're okay now?"

"Yes and the healers told me if I was that stupid again I could just deal with the burns on my own or go to my ship and explain..."

Ashland suddenly stopped talking but it made sense seeing as how all the other Jedi just stopped whatever they were doing as well and then Ashland tapped her commbadge

"Sentinel Portland to Captain Anderson"

"This is Captain Anderson go ahead Portland"

"Captain I need you to tell the Senate that something major has happened on the planet Naboo"

"Portland are you sure about that?"

"What I wouldn't give for a full Betazoid or Vulcan right about now,  _yes_  Captain I'm sure, I know you and the rest of the crew are still getting used to the whole Jedi thing and the Force but all the Jedi here at the temple just sensed a disturbance and it's centered around Naboo"

"Very well I will inform the Senate but if you're wrong we'll look like fools Anderson out"

Communication is shut down and Portland just heaves a big sigh

"Well at least he's doing  _that_  much considering they're still adapting to my full capabilities but I would  _kill_  for a full blooded Betazed or a Vulcan right about now and I  _hate_  full blooded Betazed's with their mind reading abilities and Vulcans with their touch telepath abilities at least half Betazed's are only empaths but even  _that_  would be acceptable right about now if it meant the Captain knew from the start that I was telling the truth"

"Sentinel Portland what are these races you're talking of?"

"Master Skywalker that would be information you will get from the Senate files because from what I recall hearing recently there was just a major data transfer on both sides so that information sharing doesn't have to be done face to face and take hours upon hours all over again and can be read at a persons discretion"

"Very well I think I will do that instead, um what about the Jedi archives does the Federation have those as well?"

(Shakes her head) "I told them in in no uncertain terms that should I ever make it back home they had to have the permission of the Jedi Council to gain access to the Jedi archives, what information they have about the Jedi comes from me and only me. I wanted to make sure that they never took advantage of us or our abilities which is why I did things the way I did, they understood my need for secrecy and never pushed things after I...after I gave them a demonstration of my abilities after an Admiral was stupid and kept pushing and I asked if he wanted a demonstration of what a Jedi could do should they so choose. I didn't Force choke him, or anything bad, just levitated him a few feet and then let all of them feel a bit of the power of the Force for themselves, that made them stop pushing and also made them realize our abilities are completely different from a species that would be classified as telekinetic instead of a Jedi. I might have also saved the lives of the Admiralty during a summer meeting when a building has sudden structural failure and the ceiling almost collapsed on us which also gave them reason to respect my wishes"

"Well I will have to discuss this with the Council but most likely we will give them access to portions of our archives so that they can understand us better than what you've probably told them during those long debriefs you talked about"

Several hours later Portland was called by the Captain and asked just how she knew that something had happened to Naboo

"When did you get confirmation that something happened on Naboo Captain?"

"About fifteen minutes after you called us, communication was spotty at best between us and them but they managed to at least give us enough information that the Senate is not pleased and are thinking of asking the Jedi Order for help and...I've offered our services as well Portland, we'll take them to Naboo and then bring the Senator and Jedi back unless told otherwise"

"And if we run into a blockade?"

"We'll deal with that should it come up"

"Well something happened to cause us to feel something wrong on Naboo all the way from here"

"We'll figure something out and we'll help Naboo don't worry, oh you might want to give a quick explanation about transporter technology to the Jedi coming along so that they don't panic"

"No need Captain Master Skywalker already knows everything he needs to know about our technology due to the fact that he read the reports while I was either in the bacta tank or with you"

The doctor is the one to speak up this time

"Yeah about that, just what does this bacta do anyways?"

"Helps heal basically any and all wounds, just like the dermal re-generator that you use bacta does the same thing though it can take longer it's sometimes the best thing especially out in the field where you might not have the ability to carry many medical supplies. I know for a fact that bacta patches have saved my life at least once due to a serious injury that hit very close to a vital artery and I was at least a day away from the nearest medical facility that had a bacta tank, spent the night in the tank and I was well enough to come home the next afternoon and very little scarring"

"Maybe I'll look into getting some for away teams whenever a medic isn't sent with them"

"Portland how soon can the Jedi be ready to go?"

"Um I'm not entirely sure Captain but Master Skywalker will tell me over the comm-link I have"

"Fine by the way I just found out Starfleet wants you to develop new uniforms for all Sentinel's in the future have it ready by the time we head for Naboo"

"No problems I already have a uniform design in mind, we keep with the Starfleet uniform except adding in the cloak, it won't be a full Jedi cloak more like...like the cloak Count Dooku wore, but the hoods are to remain down unless we go into Jedi mode, as for who Count Dooku is he'll be in the history files under either the fallen 20 or the Clone Wars, either that or look up Separatist group which is a sub category of the Clone Wars"

"Put the design into the replicator unit and we'll see if it works"

They did so and the design was very practical and did indeed work, though some people wandered about hiding their weapons, but when explaining that the cloak was removable they accepted it and did see why weapons being hidden would be advantageous on occasion. Two hours later Portland was back in the temple in a room with five others and Luke Skywalker was finishing the mission debrief


	3. Chapter 3

"Does everyone understand what the mission is?"

"Yes Master Skywalker we do"

"Okay Sentinel Portland will explain how you're going to get there and also the code of conduct you'll have to follow for everyone's safety"

"Thank you Master Skywalker, in a few moments I will be contacting my ship and they will use what's known as a transporter beam to take us up to the ship, no matter what you feel  _don't move_  it's perfectly normal and ends in only a few moments, once on the ship  _don't touch anything_  so that you don't accidentally cause any problems and yes I will be teaching you how to use what's known as a replicator, now then we don't know what we're going to encounter when we reach Naboo so I would suggest spending the journey preparing for any situation possible, we'll try and resolve the problem peacefully but the ship is prepared to fight if necessary if you feel any shaking that generally means that there's trouble as do loud sirens and blinking red lights. If there is trouble stay in your quarters or go to your quarters unless told to evacuate the ship that will be the safest place for you in the chaos of a battle on an unfamiliar ship. Now then Sentinel Portland to the  _Texas_  lock onto my signal and beam up the five people closest to me on my signal...and energize"

With those words the group was at the temple on second and another they were in a transporter room with the Commander waiting for them

"Commander I thought the Captain would be here as well?"

"He was but problems arose that only he could take care of as the Captain, come on I'll escort you to your quarters and Sentinel I know you're technically off duty right now but I could really use you at the helm"

"What happened to Lt. Lockland?"

"He was helping out in Cargo Hold B when some crates fell on him, nothing too serious but he's still unconscious with a concussion and Lt. Commander Dawson is covering Tactical right now due to Lt. Commander Collins...situation that happened when we arrived here, Ensign Pellson is doing fine now but he's on his second shift in a row and needs a break"

"Understood Commander I'll head to the bridge right away, in the meantime my fellow Jedi will indeed follow you to their quarters and will most likely stay there so as to avoid getting lost, they and I will also most likely read the mission specs again just to make sure we have full knowledge of the current situation and what our jobs are most likely going to be"

They go their separate ways and to different turbo lifts. While the Commander took the three Knights and two Padawans to their quarters Portland went to the bridge to cover the helm

"Ensign Pellson I've got the helm"

"Roger Sentinel Portland you have the helm"

For the rest of the shift Portland was at the Conn and things were actually pretty quiet all things considered though at the end of the shift it was mentioned that they should be nearing the planet withing the next hour

"Captain could you make sure we know when we're at the planet?"

"No problem Portland, actually shields up, go to yellow alert I don't want any surprises to catch us off guard, Portland if we go under attack instead of the bridge I'll need you in Engineering and you know why Sentinel"

"Understood Captain, I'll tell the others that it might be best to stay in their quarters, good thing the mission debrief should be quick reading for me"

Fifty minutes later the Jedi were all in Portland's quarters when her commbadge went off

"Captain Anderson to Sentinel Portland are you with your fellow Jedi?"

"This is Portland Captain everyone's in my quarters what's up?"

"Just letting you know we'll be dropping out of warp in five minutes are you guys ready for whatever happens once we arrive?"

"Don't worry Captain we're ready for anything how about up on the bridge?"

"We're ready as well En...Sentinel remember my orders before you left the bridge"

"Copy that Captain I'll be ready to follow orders and Captain if what we suspect is the truth things will start happening real quick so get ready to lower the shields temporarily to get us Jedi down there"

"Got it Sentinel transporter room will be on standby Captain Anderson out"

Communications are cut and then Portland speaks up real quick

"Guys if things start getting crazy get yourself to the nearest transporter room as quickly as possible, I'll join you as soon as I can but I will be needed in Engineering first to take care of some potential problems that they won't be able to handle on their own"

They soon went out of warp and quickly went into Red Alert and the ship was shaking and so she quickly went to a turbo lift and spoke one word that meant everything to her

"Engineering"

She quickly starts to push a few buttons that needed to be pushed because she knew that if the shields were going down temporarily then other areas needed a boost and she could do that easily. Fifteen minutes later the Captain called down to Engineering

"Portland we're not going to be getting past this blockade any time soon and it appears your fellow Jedi are in need of some assistance as well, so get yourself to the transporter room now and get down to the planet"

"Are we even close enough for transport Captain?"

"Yes we are, but we won't be able to get you to your people's last coordinates for all we know you might end up in the swamps"

"Fine by me, in fact I would welcome ending up there because that ways I will be able to get to some allies much easier than if I was in the city"

"What kind of allies?"

"Later Captain right now I'm headed to the nearest transporter room"

She heads back to the turbo lift and then heads to the nearest deck with transporters and tells the transporter person that she was going down to the planet

"Just pick coordinates that make sense and get me down there, the shields can't be down too much longer, once I'm down let the Captain know so that he can get the shields back up"

She's transported to the safest coordinates and they are actually indeed the swamps

"Okay time to try and get to the Gungans and get some help for Naboo"

She quickly went to the underwater city and was quickly taken to the boss of the Gungans"

"What are you doing here?"

"I am a Jedi Knight and am requesting the aid of the Gungans due to the fact that Naboo is under attack by what we believe is the Trade Federation again, the ship we arrived in is most likely still under attack and the city is under siege"

"Wesa tried to help da Naboo but have lost people, besides you no look like a Jedi"

"There are reasons behind that that you most likely haven't heard yet due to...communication issues that have happened recently"

"Wesa try again but not directly"

"Very well, for now I will be on the surface finding out whatever I can to help free the city, basically a scouting mission"

"It's too dangerous to be on the surface"

"Sorry but I need to make sure that we have the proper information to free the city, plus more people wearing what I am might try and help as well and they need to know I am here and safe"

Portland goes back to the surface and is quickly involved in a battle and also quickly finds out that phasers were useless against the machines which meant Ashland needed her lightsaber to be able to fight the enemy. Three hours later she's headed to what she hoped was a secure location where she could set up base when she saw shadows moving towards her, fortunately she quickly recognizes the uniforms and doesn't use either weapon on them

"Commander, what are you doing here?"

"Helping out, seeing as how we have no means of communication to the ship the Captain decided to send me and a team down here to do what we can to fight"

"Okay I understand, first thing you should know is that your phasers are useless against the enemy, I found that out the hard way by the way and am very glad I have my lightsaber on me again. The second thing is that we do indeed have allies here that  _aren't_  in the city, they are called Gungans and they live underwater in the swamps, they will have more soldiers to try and help the Naboo like they've been trying on occasion from what I can understand from them, oh and they talk a little weird so don't say anything to offend them"

"Very well Sentinel anything else we should know?"

"Well from what I can tell everyone is in camps which will actually make things easier in a way since the camps are isolated places there aren't as many guards"

"Do you have any idea of weapons for us?"

"Not at the moment, the Gungans might but I'm not sure"

Hours later at the temporary base camp the Starfleet officers made the Gungans arrived to talk about what to do to free the Naboo

"Who are these people?"

"My comrades, they can fight however their weapons are useless against the enemy"

"They can use our weapons for now, do you know if there are any other Gungans in the city?"

"Not from what I can tell but then my scouting mission was compromised and I couldn't look for more than one camp"

"We could Sentinel, considering we ran through at least half the city trying to evade those guys and there were definitely more of your people in the camps"

"Well that answers that question, and you said we have no communication with the ship Commander?"

"Correct Sentinel"

(Sighs) "I didn't think about communication jammers, let's hope the Captain decided to head back to Coruscant and get reinforcements because that blockade will keep everything contained to the planet unless there's no longer a blockade but even one starship can't do much against them and we have powerful weapons at our disposal"

"Commander maybe we can undo the communications jam"

"How Lt. we don't even know this technology plus lets face it, even if we  _could_  stop the jamming it would only be temporary and then we'd get ourselves captured or killed"

The Gungan leader speaks up then

"We can prove a distraction and possibly free the camps"

"No sir, I'm sorry but that's not a good idea, your people and the Naboo need each other to help recover after this, if you try to free the camps you might be captured or killed as well, do you think my crew can handle your weapons?"

"Yes"

"Good then, let's do it and fast because quite frankly I really don't like this location as a base of operations, I was only going to stay here a few days until I found a better location"

"What for Sentinel this is the perfect location"

"No it's not Commander, it's too close to the city and thus way to easy to be discovered"

"Fine let's just hope we can find a better location still relatively close to the city then because otherwise we won't be very effective"

"Don't worry, when I was scouting the city I found the good location we need to be effective yet hidden, we'll also need to think about the possibility of breaking through the blockade ourselves"

"But if the  _Texas_ couldn't break through..."

"They'll have more people then and more weapons, which means if we free the camps the fleet can focus on that blockade and not have to worry about the consequences to the civilians"

"The Naboo can hide in our city, we have means to get them there easily and they'll be safe due to the fact that these guys won't know about the location of the city which gives us the edge"

"Okay and maybe you should teach my fellow officers how to safely use the weapons before you let them have the weapons unsupervised, in the meantime once we reach our new location I am going to be doing some heavy meditation because quite frankly I need it"

"Sentinel you spend way to many hours meditating in my mind"

"Commander you have no idea how long I spend in meditation, you may see me meditating but I don't spend nearly as much time as you think I do unless I am in medical or under severe emotional distress"

"Which we won't even fully recognize for at least a few more months now that we know about your special abilities"

"Don't worry you have already started the process three months ago"

"We have?"

"Yes Commander, the one mission where I was the only person to leave the planet alive, we all thought I was okay after being checked out physically but not hours later you guys noticed I was having trouble keeping my emotions in check when we called the planet authorities to inquire about what had happened to me and my team"

"You're right, but we'll need to figure out several more triggers and cues now that we know about your ability and how various factors affect you"

"I agree Commander, but don't worry you'll adapt like Starfleet always does"

Meanwhile the  _Texas_  was limping back to Coruscant at warp one which was the best the ship could do at the moment due to the damage they had taken and they quickly contacted Coruscant once they were in range

" _Texas_  to Coruscant come in please"

"This is Coruscant go ahead  _Texas_ "

"Guys, we need more than just this ship to deal with the Naboo blockade and the  _Texas_ also needs to have repairs made they managed to do some serious damage when our shields were down and then they actually managed to make us lose our shields once they were back up"

"Understood  _Texas_  we'll be waiting in the Senate building for a full report"

The Command crew were the ones to give the Senate all the information they had and what they felt needed to be done to break the blockade

"But what about the Naboo? I would think that you would think about the civilians safety before planning something this aggressive"

"It's easily explained Chancellor, this isn't my entire Command crew here, my First Officer and a security team are also on Naboo, though that ultimately cost us the fight in the end my officers will do everything they can to free and protect the people of Naboo. Seeing as how it will take time to get the ship back into shape and time for the Senate to mass the firepower needed to fight through the blockade I believe that my people will have freed most if not all of the Naboo by the time we're ready"

"Except it won't take longer than two weeks for us to get the firepower we need to break through the blockade, how long will it take for you to get your ship repaired?"

"About a month, we came very close to a hull breach and  _that_  takes time to repair, plus our engines are a little finicky when they aren't properly repaired and then tested, and that's for every ship in the Fleet"

"Why is that?"

"Because you may think you've made the proper repairs but it's best to test out the engines so that any kinks in the repairs can be discovered  _before_  we really push things to the edge"

The Senate agrees to the month long wait and also agrees to send mechanics to help with the hull breach repairs and the engine repairs, though the mechanics were specifically instructed that they were to obey the orders of the Starfleet officers at all times for everyone's safety. That's what happens too, the Senate and Starfleet work together so that the  _Texas_  was fully repaired and actually decided to wait an extra month so that the rest of the fleet could train with the  _Texas_  so that they are a flawless team, not to mention that the  _Texas_  got a weapons upgrade just so that they could be more effective against the Trade Federation than they had been the last time. While all of that was happening the Jedi Council and the crew of the  _Texas_  kept hoping that their fellow Jedi and Officers were okay and safe, not to mention freeing the captured Naboo and doing their best to make contact with them. Everyday at noon Coruscant time they would meet in the Council chamber and tried to contact the missing people and also did their best to see if their comrades had managed to leave messages either with the Council or the crew of the  _Texas_

"Looks like they aren't able to contact us again today"

"It's been too long, for all we know they're dead by now"

"Do you really want to do that Captain?"

(Sighs) "I don't but my own bosses have been pushing me towards declaring them on the official Missing In Action list which is the first step towards legally declaring them dead"

"Then how are they listed now?"

"Long term planet side assignment, but even those assignments have communication on a regular basis with those higher up in the chain of command"

"How much longer can you delay having them declared missing in action?"

"About another week then we'll have no other choice, what about the Jedi teams?"

"We've also declared that they've been sent on a long term assignment, they don't know we haven't had contact since they've gone down to the planet due to the fact that they report directly to the Council but their friends are starting to get a bit concerned at the lack of communication"

"Well seeing as how we leave on the freedom mission in three days hopefully we won't have to declare them as missing"

While all of that was happening just like the Captain thought the Starfleet Officers allied with the Gungans to help free the Naboo, they even freed the Jedi teams because they had been captured in the city soon after they beamed down. Though they freed the Jedi it wasn't without problems because Portland was captured while the Jedi were freed and her captors put a Force inhibitor collar on her


	4. Chapter 4

"That should keep the Jedi under control"

The Naboo could tell that Portland was in pain due to the collar, but they also knew that they couldn't do much to help the captured Jedi but they did whatever they could

"Do you need food Jedi?"

"Yes pilot I do, jeez this collar hurts from being on too tight, I hate Force inhibitors and this collar is worse because I think it's set to detonate if messed with"

"Why did your comrades leave you here yet freed the other Jedi?"

"Well part of that is they probably think me dead now seeing as how I  _was_  right were the explosion was when they were forced to retreat, this Force inhibitor means that my fellow Jedi can't feel me in the Force and also probably think me dead"

"Maybe another attempt to free us will be made and then we can get that collar off of you safely, the Jedi would be able to do that wouldn't they?"

"Yes, but for now we obey and wait, we'll also be looking for opportunities to escape on our own"

"What about the fact that they took your weapons away from you?"

"Oh once the planet is free I will get my weapons back, besides all Jedi make sure to have a back up plan and I actually have another lightsaber at the camp we set up, unless they decide to burn it"

It took a month but finally another group made up of Gungans freed the camp Portland was at and took them to an underwater Gungan city that was deemed to be a refugee camp for displaced and freed Naboo citizens

"Who is this person though, they don't look like the Naboo and they have a weird collar on them"

The one Gungan tried to touch the collar on Portland when she spoke up

"Wait! I don't want you touching this collar for even a moment"

"What for?"

"I think it might be designed to explode if it's messed with, until we can figure out how to safely remove this thing I don't want anyone to accidentally do something to set it off"

"How do you sleep then?"

"Oh it's designed so that sleeping won't do anything, it's tampering that might set it off I was hoping to have a Jedi here as they might know how to deactivate the device but I'm not complaining about getting out of that camp"

"The Jedi and their allies with weird clothing are actually coming to this camp tomorrow"

"What for?"

"They do that whenever we manage to free a camp, they want to make sure that everyone has the proper medical attention and also checks to see if they have any fighting capabilities. If they do they are either asked to join the resistance on land or asked to stay put to be part of the cities defenses, some people decide not to choose either way but also promise to think about taking up arms should the need arrive. I think they might be able to get that collar off seeing as how I heard they came across one that was similar recently, but don't quote me on that because I'm not really sure"

"Don't worry I won't" (thinks) " _I can't wait to see everyone again, even though I know they'll have questions about my survival_ "

The next day the Jedi and two Starfleet officers did indeed come to see the newest rescues from the camp, and Ashland didn't realize it but she had changed so much in just one month that no one recognized her initially

"So these are the people you guys rescued from the camps?"

"Almost all of them, one person is actually with a human medic right now getting treatment for some burns she received this morning"

"Burns? I would think there was nothing dangerous that they would be around"

"She apparently was in the mechanical bay when an engine caught on fire, she managed to save everyone and get the fire out but unfortunately she burned herself in the process. According to the medic they're minor burns though and she should be here shortly"

Ashland enters right at that moment and apologizes for being late

"It's okay the leader of the city explained what happened already, but what I'm wanting to know is why you're wearing that collar"

"It was put on me when I was captured, actually seeing as how I don't know anything about this collar I would prefer you talk to me last so that you have all the time you need to deal with this thing and any booby traps it might have"

It took two hours but finally they made it to Ashland and it was decided they would test her skills and see how she was fairing physically before they did anything to remove that collar

"Well you seem to know combat really well but we're worried about your physical state"

"I know, I am malnourished and quite frankly I also have scars all over my back from severe beatings"

"Let's not forget slightly dehydrated and general weakness, though honestly you're stronger than many of your fellow prisoners"

"Oh that's easily explained actually, whenever we were allowed any time of good exercise I would do multiple different exercises that kept up my strength yet didn't look like that was what I was doing"

"Were you actually preparing for being freed?"

"Not necessarily, but I wanted to be ready should the opportunity arise"

"Well are you ready to get this collar off?"

"Oh I've been ready for that"

The Jedi take a closer look at the collar and with the Force's help they quickly figured out how to deactivate the device, which they did and got it off of her. Once the collar was off of her she accessed the Force for the first time in a month which surprised the Jedi only momentarily

"How can this be? We saw you die"

"No Knight Korran I wasn't killed in the explosion, I was captured and had a Force inhibitor put on me and have been waiting for you guys to free me ever since"

That's when the Starfleet officers recognize her and are very glad

"Sentinel, do you want to get back to the camp you started or stay here?"

"Stay here Lt. at least for now, but I will come back soon enough, I just want to make sure this group is protected first, tell the Commander about me being alive and the new weapon before I get there"

"Don't worry we will, we'll also try and make contact with Coruscant and our ship naturally"

"Oh naturally I can't wait to hear the results of those attempts"

"Well so far nothing, but by now they had to have made it back to Coruscant and are gearing up to free Naboo with the Senate's help"

"I'll see you guys soon enough, oh did you guys burn my spare lightsaber that I made just in case something happened to the one I had on me initially?"

"No none of us could bare to destroy it seeing as how it was a part of you even though it wasn't your primary lightsaber"

"Okay then I will need my lightsaber when you get the chance"

"I understand and will do so, oh you should also know that our phasers work against the enemy now"

"How? I thought that there wasn't a way to do so"

"Thank your fellow Jedi, they managed to figure out our weapons and the way to modify them to be useful against the enemy"

Two weeks later Ashland was back with the rest of the group on the surface and had her lightsaber back. Two weeks after that the  _Texas_  and Republic fleet were back at Naboo and started fighting both in space and on the ground and with the resistance group already in place they freed Naboo relatively quickly. When the Starfleet officers were reunited the Naboo and Gungans were amazed at how coordinated their attacks were, in fact it was almost as if some of them being forced to stay on the planet was part of the ultimate plan seeing as how they didn't understand this was all Starfleet training. Once the fighting was over both sides gave the other major debriefs that were needed

"So you were captured and had a Force inhibitor collar forced on you Sentinel?"

"Yes I did, it wasn't something I enjoyed and of course I figured they would think me dead but it was what it was, have you guys found my original lightsaber and phaser yet?"

"Well, we did find them but um Portland they're useless, they were being melted as we got there and there isn't anything we can do to salvage them"

(sighs) "I have a lightsaber at least so I'm not completely defenseless but I can't wait until I can get a new phaser as well"

"We also haven't had any luck finding out when our replacements will be, Command called us while doing a training exercise telling us that they're doing what they can to get proper representatives here in a relatively quick time but even with you telling them how long you took to get there Portland the engines are still giving them trouble"

"What about the rogue Dominion soldiers, has anyone heard about or from them since our encounter?"

"Yes there has been several attacks on bases since we were separated by the space anomaly"

"Are they okay?"

"Yes fortunately several starships were available for each attack so there was very minor damage but our relationship with the Dominion is getting strained"

"What about Odo? I thought he would be able to mediate peace between the two groups"

"He's trying his hardest but quite frankly the rogues aren't making his job easy, there's also the fact that the Dominion isn't too happy with our proposals at the moment to deal with the rogues"

"All of this while we not only have our own problems but also are too far away to be any good"

"What about your warp power how long would it take you to reach your part of the galaxy?"

"At maximum warp it would still take us a year and four months and while we'd have the food needed we could do irreparable damage to our engines with no means to fix them"

"We'll simply have to wait then and ask for regular updates so that we know how they're fairing"

"Exactly, plus it might just be advantageous that we're stuck here all the way in the Republic because if people are captured the  _Texas_  can be a backup plan and the means to rebuild the Federation, with the Senates help of course"

"We'd be quite willing to help rebuild the Federation if need be after all we  _are_  officially allies now"

"Thanks Master Skywalker, but for the moment I think it best if we simply figure out how to rebuild Naboo and also maybe do some more integration training for the crew"

"What do we need integration training for Sentinel?"

"Easy, you guys may have fought well as a team, and worked well with the Republic soldiers but quite frankly you guys still don't know how to fight along side a Jedi and seeing as how I'm on your crew for the foreseeable future you guys need to work on that. The only reason I fought so well alongside you was because of my Starfleet training, that meant that I could compensate for your tactics and also managed to keep you guys alive with all those lightsabers swinging and blasters blasting by Force pushing the robots and tuning into the Force to make all the Jedi hyper aware of your locations at all times. I think Master Skywalker will agree with me that if there were any other Jedi with you guys you would be dead by now"

"She's right, the only reason you guys are alive is because of Sentinel Portland, the group that was stuck here for two months did better than those that trained with the Republic but I believe they would agree that they need some training still"

"Master Skywalker is right, we that were stuck here do have an advantage but we do still need to train alongside Jedi to perfect our techniques"

"Very well, but we'll do this in the holodeck on the  _Texas_  which has safety features so that no one can get seriously hurt"

"And all Jedi will be relegated to training sabers whenever in the holodeck, they act just like real lightsabers except the worst thing that can happen is you get a saber burn at the highest level and at the lower level you feel a stinging sensation"

"I think there's also the fact that quite frankly I know something else we need to do Captain, and it's not going to be easy"

"What are you talking about Sentinel?"

(Sighs) "I need everyone who works with me to forgo the training manual in regards to our current situation and let us Jedi dampen their senses"

"What for Sentinel?"

"Simple, everyone may have agreed to the rules and the new situation but they don't fully understand just what I am capable of now that I no longer have to hold back any of my abilities. Once their senses are dampened we put them through a rigorous training facility within the holodeck"

"What's the point in that?"

"Easy, that ways they get a true understanding of what I am capable of when I'm not holding back, they'll also learn the consequences of not obeying the rules because I'm also going to test them with the training saber to see who obeys the rule of no one touches the saber without permission and who's foolish enough to think they can handle the weapon even without any formal training"

"And permission is only given in two extreme circumstances"

"Yes, though now that I think about it there is a third circumstance that will allow officers to have a lightsaber on their person"

"And just what circumstance is that?"

"The Jedi starting giving the officer the weapon for whatever reason but is interrupted, either to keep it safe so as to not identify the person as a Jedi, or if the Jedi is using themselves as bait and they want the officer to do what they think is right and trust them to use the weapon responsibly"

"Well, I agree and seeing as how I'm the Captain they will obey orders, but honestly I can't wait to hear the rogue Dominion soldiers are under control and engines have been modified so that we can get home a whole lot faster than right now"

"Yeah, until then we're stuck here no offense Sentinel but this really isn't our place right now, there's just too much to adapt to at once which makes me uncomfortable"

"I know Commander, it was basically the same for me except in reverse and I had to adjust to Starfleet at the same time, what you have is what I refer to as location displacement overload. I know that you've been here for two months but those two months have been spent essentially preparing to free Naboo, for all future Officers they'll have an easier time adjusting due to the fact that we'll already have an established presence with our representatives. All future Officers are also going to be able to fully read about the location they're going to instead of just being dropped into an unfamiliar space like you were"

"So you don't blame us for having a hard time adjusting?"

"No I don't, after all I also had a hard time adjusting to my new situation, in fact it got so bad that the main reason the debriefs took the entire school year and part of summer was because the teachers noticed about half way through the school year that I was getting overwhelmed by all the changes. They put a halt on the debriefs and for the next three months I simply met with my teachers and those higher up in the chain of command to decompress and simply talk about how I felt and how I was adjusting to my new surroundings, they also allowed me to teach them my meditation techniques to keep me calm and gave me the time to really meditate in their presence"

"What do you mean they gave you the time to really meditate in their presence?"

"Easy, I was given three hours of meditation every other day and then on the weekends I was allowed to meditate as long as I needed under observation so that I still ate food, the rest of the time I was still lucky to simply get fifteen minutes of meditation, but for those three months the deep meditations allowed me to fully adjust to Starfleet and my new home. By the start of the new school year the teachers were no longer worried about me but did occasionally check to make sure that I was doing okay and not getting overwhelmed again"

"So they looked out for you like they would any other cadet how were you found out in the first place Sentinel?"

"Oh that's easy Captain, do you remember the debrief I did where I explained that Starfleet wanted Jedi fully trained in their abilities so that there are no accidents Master Skywalker?"

"I remember, wait is that what happened to you?"

"Yes, during a test in the holodeck they put me in a typical first year cadet situation where I am suddenly separated from the group and can't communicate or use the tricorder. I was then overwhelmed by angry 'civilians'. Unfortunately for me everything had been building up over the past several months, the debriefs, the new location, the new way of fighting, the inability to really meditate to deal with all of the emotions that came with the package, the  _loneliness_  of being the only Jedi, and now I was suddenly truly alone and I had a flashback where I was on a mission for the Republic where I was separated and alone due to being thought dead due to an explosion. I Force pushed and 'stunned' all of my captures and then broke down crying and saying that I was just ready to end it all and simply let myself be killed the next time I was attacked being that I was only one person separated from the group and no idea what to do next. The simulation ended right then and there and I was sent to a councilor who had the security clearance to know about me, those meetings combined with the meetings with the teachers and higher command structure in meditation periods allowed me to get myself back in order and ready to continue my mission for the Republic. The councilor and I actually had some deep discussions after I was released from his care seeing as how he was a Betazed and could hear my thoughts on occasion when I actually let him and according to him those discussions actually helped him to understand others in similar situations. The councilor and I actually had to have professional meetings over the next three years due to the fact that I occasionally had need to simply talk to someone when meditation didn't work out"

"Can you give us an example?"

"Oh yeah, do the Starfleet officers remember hearing about the training exercise that went majorly wrong and we lost fifty cadets and seventy others were injured in varying degrees?"

"Oh that accident, you were there?"

"Yep, and there wasn't anything I could do to help except with the clean up, and that was ignoring my own injuries which included let's see...oh yes I remember a dislocated shoulder, two cracked ribs, a broken wrist, a broken knee, a sprained ankle and bruising all over my body, oh yeah can't forget the black eye swollen shut and broken jaw"

"Any  _other_  injuries while you're at it Sentinel?"

"No Captain, the doctor said I was lucky I wasn't dead or have internal bleeding. After I was released to light duty I had several sessions with the councilor to cope with what had happened to a third of the sophomore class and half the junior class. It was the senior class that came to the rescue seeing as how some of them were on a survival exercise of their own not two planets away from us, they relayed the situation to the Academy and then made a plan of action and rescue in the meantime getting there three hours before the Academy. Both our teachers and the Academy credit the Senior class for the fact that we didn't lose any more lives than what had been lost because they employed advanced techniques for field medicine and coordinated a safe means of clearing the debris that was there. And Captain the reason why they were in charge was because our teachers were either trapped or unconscious so we Sophomores and Juniors followed the orders of the highest ranking officer available which was the Seniors that arrived on scene first"

"What about the officers in charge of the Seniors?"

"They decided they would only step in if the Seniors got in over their heads, it was decided that the Seniors would be tested on how to take control of a severe situation as Starfleet officers would be forced to in a terrorist attack or natural disaster that had the planet request Federation assistance"

"So you did see a councilor for that and other issues, any how I think the idea does have merit now that you explained some of your issues in a way we can understand, but Portland just how long did it ultimately take you to truly adjust?"

"A year and a half, that's how long it took me to truly balance my new life enough to be able to do everything I needed to  _remain_  balanced especially in regards to my emotions. And of course now that I'm in the open the Academy themselves will help the new cadets balance their schedules as well so that they don't have to deal with the backlash that I had at the beginning"

"How so?"

"Easy, when I first explained how important my lightsaber was I was given access to the holodeck at times when cadets normally didn't so that I could retain my lightsaber skills. After my emotional breakdown I was kind of forced to explain how meditation helps Jedi"


	5. Chapter 5

_Almost five years ago_

"Cadet Portland what happened back there? I thought things were going okay and now suddenly you've just had a breakdown"

"It's not okay, I can't do anything right, I am far from home, I have to adapt so suddenly to a new means of defending myself, I'm constantly around authority figures so that I can tell you about my life in the Republic, I'm the  _only_  Jedi at the academy, this scenario happened to me back at the Republic and I just went into instinct mode seeing as how I barely survived last time I was in this situation and most likely thought dead, and I'm lucky if I get fifteen minutes to meditate, it's too much the Republic and Jedi council should have never sent me here, I hate it!"

"Wait, what's so important about meditation and how come you're only getting fifteen minutes if you're lucky enough?"

"Meditation is how Jedi release their emotions into the Force, it helps center us, gives us focus, depending on how deep we go it strengthens our connection to the Force, but I can't meditate at all on some days because I was given strict orders by you not to reveal myself as different in more ways than simply the fact that I've decided to join in my mid twenties. If there was another Jedi here at least I could talk to them about how I'm feeling and be able to talk to someone who understands what I am going through and give me somebody to talk with whom I have a connection to"

"Okay, I don't know what we're going to do to fully get you through this cadet, but for now I think it's time we did something that should have been done long ago, I think it's time you saw a councilor, one who has the right security clearance to know everything about you and until the councilor says otherwise the meetings will be mandatory"

"I think that will be a big help thank you Admiral"

Over the next several days Ashland meets the Betazed councilor and the people in charge of the Academy and the debriefs discuss how to help their lonely Jedi and easily come up with a solution. A few days after the breakdown they requested to see Portland in the head office

"Cadet Portland I believe we've found a solution that will benefit everyone, starting tomorrow you'll come here after the noon meal for three hours every other day for meditation, on the weekends it will be for as long as you need to but under observation so that we make sure you still eat"

"I can accept that"

So that's exactly what they do, within a few days they noticed a marked difference in how well she seemed to be doing and asked to join in on her meditation sessions and also asked her to teach them a little bit more about meditations seeing as how they might benefit them as well. They continued for three months and then those meetings went back to debriefings but by that time Ashland had finally managed to balance her life a little better. Ashland would also continue to see the Councilor on occasion when her meditation periods failed, like right after the major accident

_Immediately after the accident_

"Councilor Johl, can we talk?"

"Yes Portland what is it?"

"It's about the recent training accident"

"I heard, I'm glad to see that you're healing alright"

"Except I'm not as okay as I seem to be"

"What's wrong?"

"My meditations have failed I just can't seem to find any peace when meditating, I think...I think it's best that I talk about what happened to you before I try meditation again, get an outsiders perspective who will let me simply talk instead of forcing me to talk about how I felt during that crazy period"

"Very well, let's simply start out by how you've been doing since your last session with me"

So for the next several session she simply caught the councilor up and then they started working through what had happened on the training exercise. Once those sessions were over Ashland was able to properly meditate again but both knew that there would most likely be something else that forces her to be unable to meditate and she'd be right back at the councilors office

_Present_

"After that they wanted to make sure there were no other surprises so they asked me everything a Jedi needed to do to keep their lives balanced and I told them that those two things were really the only things that they couldn't really know or understand about us, everything else they did just fine in keeping my life balanced, though I did warn them that if I went into a healing trance while in the medical facility I would heal a lot faster than most students and sometimes I wouldn't even need the medical facility if it was minor enough and they accepted that"

"What about the training accident with those serious injuries?"

"Three days in medical, one day in a healing trance and several meditation periods afterwords just to make sure I was healing well"

"And the medics?"

"Seeing as how they knew about me they weren't worried and besides, with the modern medicine that Starfleet has several students who had broken bones or bruises, dislocated parts, or sprains and strains weren't in medical for very long either, though follow up was a bit longer for them and they were on light duty a bit longer as well"

"Didn't I hear a complaint about your healing trance at least once Sentinel? I believe it's in your file soon after you joined my crew, though we didn't know it was a healing trance until just recently"

"Oh that, um that was actually a combination of a healing trance and a coma Captain, you see I knew I was pretty seriously injured and needed all the help I could get to heal so once I knew I was safe with the crew I went into the trance, unfortunately for me I went a little too deep and that combined with my injuries meant I wound up in a coma for two weeks. I made the decision right then and there that there would be no more healing trances until I revealed myself to the crew no matter how much I wanted to, the only time that might have happened unintentionally was the one time I was found already unconscious from that building collapse"

"The doctor almost declared you in a coma when she realized you were just deeply asleep, but I think now that we know the terminology I believe she'll be able to tell when you're in a healing trance"

"Agreed, but I warn you here and now just like I'll warn the doctor, those trances are  _dangerous_  if not done properly or if they last too long unobserved"

"What makes them so dangerous?"

Luke takes up the explanations from there

"Easy, because one can easily become lost in the trance, and sometimes Jedi can have visions in the trance which makes it all the more dangerous because those visions can be extremely intense. It's why there's a recommendation that a Jedi not go into the healing trance unless with another Jedi, unless it happens during meditation when you're conscious and can control just how deep you are in the trance"

"I understand, Sentinel do you automatically keep yourself from the trance or will it have to be an order any time you're injured?"

"Captain I already told you it's automatic to prevent the trance unless I know it's going to be light or if I'm in medical, it's the newer Sentinel's that will need to be given the orders to avoid the trance unless in a medical facility unless they know for sure they just need a light trance"

"Well for now let's see what can be done to get Naboo back in order and then go from there"

They do exactly that and soon seven months had passed since the battle for Naboo. While in the Senate one day they heard a call no one was expecting for several more months

" _USS ENTERPRISE_ to Republic Senate please respond"

"Captain Picard this is Captain Anderson of the  _Texas_  what brings you all the way out here?"

"We have the Federation representatives Captain, and you should know that it now only takes six and a half months to get from Federation space to Republic space, the reason why the test ship isn't here is because there was another problem soon after testing was completed so they modified my ship to bring the representatives. I have the schematics for your engineer and am volunteering my chief engineer until your engines are properly modified"

"Thank you Captain Picard, you can beam the representatives to my location seeing as how we're in the midst of a meeting now, they might as well join in, oh and I assume that since you are here things have settled down in regards to the rogue Dominion?"

"Somewhat Captain Anderson, I'll explain more in a face to face meeting, we're beaming the representatives down to you now"

Over the next several days the engines on the  _Texas_  were modified and they got a major update on what was going on in regards to the rogue Dominion soldiers

"So they're getting more organized but at the same time we have the advantage with our alliances, but I wonder is the Neutral Zone still up despite the alliance between the Federation and Romulus?"

"Yes Ambassador Spock is working on getting Romulus to join the Federation and also his reunification project but for now everyone is happy with an alliance and waiting to see where we go from there"

"Captain Picard would you mind a few extra guests on your ship?"

"What for Ensign Portland?"

"Sorry Captain but that's Sentinel Portland now in case you haven't heard of the new rank system"

"Of course you're a Jedi, my apologies Sentinel, I presume that the extra guests are fellow Jedi who want to give Starfleet a try"

"Yes Captain fifteen Jedi, most of them Knights but two of them Masters, want to try and join Starfleet"

"I can take five of your fellow Jedi but you will have to take the rest"

"No problem we can take ten easily, we just couldn't take all fifteen"

The Jedi quickly get organized into two groups and then were transported to their respective ships after the whole transporting thing was explained

"So Sentinel I need you in medical for a bit"

"What for Captain?"

"The doctor needs to fully understand Jedi and thus needs a full workup on you for future references for her and a general reference for doctors who might potentially have Jedi as patients. I get the feeling that more Jedi will eventually join Starfleet so I deem that workup necessary, besides you can help your fellow Jedi remain calm because they're getting a workup too. Oh and she wants to hear more about bacta and how that works as well"

"Understood Captain, once that's done am I going to my duty station at the helm?"

"Yes I need you there after words because quite frankly I'll need your help explaining everything to whoever greets us first if they're not part of the Admiralty"

"Understood Captain, good thing you have all the files you need to give to the Federation and vice versa in regards to the  _Enterprise_  having files for the Republic"

Portland goes to medical and spends the next three hours being poked, prodded and asked questions galore all so that the medical field could understand Jedi just a little better and how best to treat them when injured

"Bacta can also be used for burns but I would be very careful about how much you use on anyone but a Jedi at first"

"Allergic reaction possibility?"

"Exactly, not many people are allergic to bacta unless it's tainted but it  _is_  a possibility and one we should watch out for"

"Alright I think I have all the information I need for medical, you can go to your duty station now Sentinel, but be careful, I gave you some injections that I am testing to see how they react to a Jedi and their use of the Force. I want you to report to me  _immediately_  if you have any reaction you're not used to when given an injection is that understood?"

"Understood doctor, I will tell the watch commander that I am under medical orders to report to sickbay if I have any reaction to what you gave me while undergoing tests"

Portland goes to her duty station on the bridge and five hours later is forced to end her shift due to the fact that when she stood up to check something at tactical she felt dizzy and faint

"Lt. I need to report to medical, now"

"Understood Sentinel, do you want someone to go with you just in case?"

"Yes sir that's probably a good idea"

Fortunately they arrive at sickbay with no further problems and it turns out that Portland did indeed suffer a reaction to one of the medications in her system due to the Force, turned out that it recognized the inoculation as foreign seeing as how a healing trance would be just as effective

"Basically any Jedi officer can't go to the planet until we work this issue out"

"Got it doctor do I have to stay here?"

"Yes for at least the night, I want to make sure your reaction doesn't get any worse, and I also want to make sure that you aren't reacting to anything else"

"Understood, have you given any other Jedi the inoculation?"

"No I was waiting for a full twenty-four hours before I gave them anything just in case, seeing as how you are already a Starfleet officer I could test the injections on you without you giving me full consent seeing as how signing up is your consent"

"Exactly, so a full night, very well, when will I be allowed to be back on duty?"

"After I let you leave sickbay you'll be cleared for full duty, however your diet will be restricted for at least twelve hours after you leave"

"Got it"

Ashland quickly recovers from the reaction and six months later they were back in Federation space looking at Earth, most for the first time ever

"So that's Earth"

"Yes it is a beautiful planet, you'll be undergoing tests over the next several days, normally only one student will be allowed to join from any testing facility but seeing as how it's been decided it would be better for you to have fellow Jedi with you it will depend on how many of you pass, and you will get to try again if you so choose at a later date so if you fail they will find places for you to stay until you can retest to join the Academy. I'll warn you it's a hard test and you're not allowed to use the Force, they want to see how you do without any special abilities. Once you pass they will start testing you while you use the Force so that they see exactly what they need to work on in regards to what they need to do so that you're not set up for failure and just what could potentially set you off in a flashback. That's especially important for you newer Knights because you won't have as many coping methods as the older Knights and the two Masters have, they learned their lesson when I had a breakdown in a training simulation and don't want a repeat"

"Just how closely will we be watched Portland?"

"For the first few months pretty closely but that's pretty much standard procedure for new recruits, as the year goes on they won't be watching you nearly as closely as before and you also won't be watched as closely as I was after my breakdown but that happened due to mistakes on both sides"

"So when's testing?"

"In three days but I won't be here to talk to you about it or help you cope afterwords, we have a supply mission to a nearby colony and we have to depart immediately, those on the  _Enterprise_  are also being dropped off, don't worry some Starfleet Admirals will be meeting you at the coordinates we're dropping you off at so that they can take you to where you are staying while you are being tested"

While the Jedi were getting tested the  _Texas_ went on their assigned mission which quickly got out of hand because of the fact that there were rogue Dominion that decided to attack the fledgling colony, seeing as how the colony had just recently been reestablished after frequent attacks by multiple enemies of the Federation. But first Portland got her new symbol of rank

"This is the Orange star signifying your rank, the colors are white for Probation, orange for Entry, purple for Freshman, red for Sophomore, black with silver outlining for First Junior, green for Second Junior, blue for High Junior and gold for Senior. You will only wear one star at a time except for those at the Academy"

"To signify how far in their Academy years they are right?"

"Exactly, now then we're still working on just what qualifies as a promotion unless it's a field promotion but we'll work everything out eventually"

"What I'm wondering is why black signifies First Junior"

"Oh that's easy it's the halfway mark between the ranks after graduation and everyone agreed that it was to be black to signify that they were at a point where they would either succeed or could potentially fall and be forced to leave Starfleet, as for the Jedi side it's a reminder of how they can easily fall to the dark side of the Force if they aren't careful"

"That makes sense then. Now then what exactly is our mission for the colony?"

"We're to resupply them and train them in basic defense, that colony has been attacked way to frequently lately and they would stand to benefit on learning how to properly use the phaser, seeing as how your phaser is permanently locked on stun I want them to feel the effect of a full powered stun, the rest will be seen via holograms that will act like real people"

They started the mission and things were actually pretty easy at first when suddenly they were under attack yet again and the enemy tried to make the building collapse. They would have succeeded as well if not for the fact that Ashland quickly put her hands up aimed towards the ceiling

"I would get out of here if I were you, I'm not quite sure just how long I can hold this entire ceiling up,  _especially_  considering just how large this building was designed to be"

"You only have to last five minutes Sentinel, and don't worry about getting yourself out we'll lock onto your commbadge and beam you out once everyone else is safe"

"Don't be surprised if you hear of me passing out, I was injured before this happened and thus am straining myself slightly so that everyone can escape safely"

"We'll hurry"

Exactly five minutes later Ashland was transported directly to sickbay where she did indeed promptly pass out. The doctor was surprised at just how long she lasted considering her injuries and how long she held up a building right afterwords. She gave the Captain a full report once he reported to sickbay three hours after the building collapse


	6. Chapter 6

"She'll be fine Captain, but she'll be stuck here for a few days while she's healing"

"Do you know if there were any Force inhibitors around her at any period of time?"

"No I can't tell you that, what makes you ask?"

"She was sounding really strained when she held the ceiling up"

"It could have just been the combination of the injuries and having to use her abilities so soon afterwords we just don't know right now"

Two days later Ashland woke up and she realized she was stuck for a few days

"Hey doctor how long am I stuck here?"

"At least another two days seeing as how you've been out for two already, I know it might be too soon but considering you were strained when trying to keep the ceiling up the Captain is wondering if you were around Force inhibitors at any point during the mission so far"

"No I haven't been around Force inhibitors for a while, what happened was that I was in several phaser fights and a few hand to hand combat fights that lasted at least fifteen minutes a piece, and then when I was in the building seeing what might have been needed there they building collapsed and I used the Force to keep everyone safe and alive. However doing that combined with the physical exhaustion pushed my body over the limit and I knew that I would collapse right after transportation or soon after"

"As soon as you arrived in sickbay you passed out, and if you're wondering if you missed anything between the transporter room and here you were transported directly to sickbay once everyone was evacuated from the building"

"Okay, so what can I do to help out from here?"

"Nothing, the mission is almost over anyways, it appears that with this most recent attack it's been decided by the people who have been trying to reestablish this colony that it's not worth it anymore, so we're destroying all the evidence we can and then go from there, the Federation already knows about this and approves. After we drop them off at another place to establish a colony we're heading to DS9 for resupply and to help them with some tech from the Republic"

"And since for now I'm the only person who truly knows Republic technology I'm the one to help, even though you were in the Republic for several months you never really had to learn the tech because you were basically on the  _Texas_ "

Five days later the  _Texas_  left the new colony where there were other Federation groups there to help them start up and headed towards DS9 not knowing that the rogue Dominion had taken over the station and through hacking into Starfleet databases had managed to make a crude Force inhibitor that would hurt any Jedi that had the collar on them as a means to control everyone. When they arrived the  _Texas_  crew realized something was wrong but they didn't know what and that would cost them as they would suddenly be knocked out, waking up several hours after the initial attack groggy and for Ashland in pain thanks to the inhibitor, and Ashland would also wake up alone. Several hours after being knocked unconscious in engineering

"Oh my head...ow that hurts!"

She quickly felt the collar around her and when she tried to access the Force she realized she had a Force inhibitor collar on her, one that was  _extremely_  painful whether or not she was actively seeking the Force out

"Okay situation report, I am all alone on what I presume is DS9, I have a Force inhibitor collar on me making me unable to access the Force to get a sense of what is going on here and it also looks like I'm stuck until I can get myself out of...whatever this place is"

Ashland was looking around while giving herself the situation report and noticed she was in what looked like a room without a door to enter or leave, though she did notice that she had a replicator unit, which quickly gave her an idea for escape

"Wait, this is a replicator unit, and it leads to another room I presume, but these units are connected to Jeffries tubes if I recall correctly and if I can move through the tubes I can figure out where I am and might also be able to free other officers also trapped, but that's only if I can escape through the replicator unit in the first place...well worth a shot anyways"

Ashland quickly gets into the corridor that was underneath the replicator unit and then slowly starts figuring out where everyone else is and starts freeing them as well. She makes sure to free officers and civilians alike as a statement that everyone was equal in her eyes, though she was hoping to free some medical personnel soon so that they could take care of the collar. Everyone that joined her noticed that she was in constant pain but unfortunately they couldn't understand why seeing as how they all had collars on them, but those collars weren't meant for anything other than to not make them suspicious of Ashland's collar, though of course they didn't know that and wouldn't for several days yet. Ashland took several days to free half the station due to the fact that she didn't want to get the enemy suspicious too quickly and cause people to die needlessly. Finally though she managed to free Bashir, Crusher and Kohler

"Hey guys, think you can figure out how to get this blasted collar off of me, because I can't access the Force without pain, heck I can't even wear this collar without being shocked on occasion"

"We'll see what we can do and since you're in pain we'll get yours off first"

"Excellent, by the way Crusher do you know how my fellow Jedi did, seeing as how you were to stay there until you received word?"

"Well all but one made it into Starfleet first go around, but there's a very good reason why one of the Knights didn't pass"

"Why?"

"It turns out that he contracted a virus while undergoing one of the unnamed tests and is now undergoing medical treatment, it's a very tricky virus that unfortunately requires some long term treatment unlike most viruses"

"How long must they undergo treatment?"

"He'll be in medical for at least a month, once treatment is over he'll stay at the housing they were provided during the testing and hopefully he'll pass next year"

"How did he get in contact with the virus in the first place?"

"Testing to see if he would fit into the science department seeing as how he had expressed interest in that from the beginning, while on board the ship"

"Okay then at least it's treatable, but Crusher if he goes into a healing trance he might heal a lot faster than medical thinks"

"Um not exactly, you see they told him to go into a healing trance for twenty-four hours and that failed completely and spectacularly, he almost wound up in a coma if not for their quick reaction"

"Okay that isn't normal, can he still access the Force?"

"Yes he could when I last saw him but something is preventing him from entering the trance properly and we have yet to find out why"

"Starfleet Medical will figure things out, now then about the blasted collar"

Bashir speaks up then

"I've got it figured out and can safely get it off of you, in fact everyone else's collars are fakes yours is the only real one. Once I figured that out I knew what to do to safely disable a few booby traps"

"Go for it then Bashir"

Five minutes later Bashir had the collar off and Ashland physically looked relieved at that

"Okay now that the collar is off we still have a few problems"

"Like what Sentinel?"

"We have no weapons Lt. what are we going to do to fight back with no weapons?"

"Good point"

"Exactly, plus I  _need_  my lightsaber no questions asked it's the weapon of a Jedi and it's a part of me"

"Don't worry we'll get everything figured out but for now I think we might have to hit the enemy hard and steal the weapons they're using"

"That should work, let's just hope they don't discover where we're hiding"

"Oh I have a solution to that though no one's going to like it"

"Don't tell me"

"Yes doctor, we split up, big time"

"That won't work Sentinel besides you need authorization from either Colonel Kira or Captain Sisko"

"Well we don't have them Lt. and quite frankly I highly doubt we will for some time, they're quickly catching on to what I am doing and we only have about half the station freed. That is not counting those on the ships that are still docked and people are simply stuck there"

"You still can't give orders Sentinel"

"Well...not exactly, we're still trying to figure out just where I fit in the pecking order especially considering I'm the only Sentinel currently on active duty"

"There's also the fact that if she senses a disturbance in the Force she's allowed to act as she sees fit"

"Okay so we still don't fully have your role set in stone but we still don't know what we're going to do when we need Captain Sisko to formalize any plans made"

"Except when things happen in the field like now"

"She has a point"

"Look for now let's go with the Sentinel's plan and adjust as we find people of higher rank because the only person that has the highest rank is Koran and he's only a Lt. Commander that's not really a very high rank especially as he's only been that rank for about three months"

"Okay we'll go with it for now, but once we have things fully settled in how you fall within the ranking system you will obey the rules"

"No problem, the only thing I'm confused about like you are is why that hasn't been figured out in the almost year and a half since I was informed of my new rank, because before this I was an Ensign, unless they were expecting the  _Texas_  to figure it all out"

"Who knows we'll figure that mess out later for now we have a station to free"

They start doing what Ashland suggested which turned out to be a good thing because the enemy did catch on and tried to start killing people in the Promenade. Since there were multiple teams they freed people before they reached the Promenade and soon enough Sisko was freed and he quickly changed the plan that Portland thought of but that was because he was better informed about the enemy than she was


	7. Chapter 7

"That actually makes sense then Captain, however we still have to get the enemy off of the station and I need to avoid any more Force inhibitors which they make sure  _hurt_ , we don't know just how many Force inhibitors the enemy had or still have so what am I going to do?"

"For now you stay in your current location and organize weapons raids like what you've been doing. The rest of us will try and find out if there are any more Force inhibitors so that you don't have to worry about that any more"

"Understood Captain, um Captain did Starfleet tell you anything about how I fall in the command structure? I need to know in case something like this ever happens again"

"No they didn't which is weird because the Sentinel rank is completely new, and so far you're the only Sentinel we have"

That's when Ashland's real Captain decides to join in on the conversation, having been with Sisko since shortly before he was freed

"Actually Captain we have fourteen new Sentinel's getting their education right now"

"I stand corrected however you are the only active duty Sentinel we have right now"

"Well we'll take that up with Command later for now you stay put for safety's sake"

"Understood Captain"

It would take several more days but finally they managed to free the station and get things back under control. The enemies were turned over to the proper authorities and Ashland finally had her weapons back which they hadn't managed until after they freed the station

"Much better I feel complete again"

"You really can't do anything without that weapon can you?"

"Oh I can do plenty without my lightsaber I just don't like it because it completes me and identifies me as a Jedi, which I am at all times but still..."

"You feel safer with the weapon don't you?"

"Yes Sisko I do. Now then when are we going to confront Command about how I fit into the command structure as a Sentinel?"

"Soon right now I need to give them a major debrief on what's been going on on my station for the past several weeks"

"Understood Captain, for now I think I will stay on the station while things settle down, but only with my Captain's permission"

"Well all things considered it might be the best option so I give you permission Sentinel, we'll deal with the whole pecking order later"

Several days later Portland was working alongside Odo on the top of the Promenade deck when she suddenly sighed and simply jumped over the railing landing safely to the shock of several other people and then simply just stood there when the person Odo and Ashland were chasing tossed several knives at her

"That won't work, I can't believe you just did that considering what started this whole thing between the two of us in the first place"

She simply held up her hand and the weapons stopped, they then went to her hand and she simply dropped them and then stunned the perpetrator seeing as how he tried to charge her after he got over the shock of her simply stopping the weapons with her hand for a second time. But this time when she held out her hand he was forced back into the waiting arms of Odo

"You have him Constable?"

"I have him, thanks for your help Ensign"

"Sentinel Constable I am now known as a Sentinel"

"Of course forgive me, this new rank division will take some time getting used to"

"For everyone Constable and I understand that"

"What are your plans now?"

"First I want my lightsaber back, then I'm going to go to my ship and see if I need to reply to any messages left for me there"

"Why didn't you just use your abilities to get your weapon back?"

"Think of the reports Constable"

"Oh of course I forgot about that, where's the device now?"

"Don't know and don't care as long as it's far away from me"

_Several minutes earlier_

Ashland was eating at Quarks when she felt someone grab the lightsaber from her and the thief flaunted the weapon in front of her too

"Lose something miss?"

"Give the weapon back"

"I don't think so"

"I do"

She simply holds out her hand and the weapon comes flying right back to her when suddenly he brings out a device and activates it. When he activated the device Ashland goes down to her knees holding her head in pain while the criminal takes back the lightsaber and runs, but Ashland does her best to ignore the pain and is rewarded by having it stop soon after she leaves Quarks. She quickly informs Odo about the theft and he allows her to help him by going top side in case he decided to use the upper decks of the Promenade, and he's quickly found and when she alerts Odo by shouting that's when the chase starts with Odo on the criminals level and Ashland on the top doing her best to get ahead of him

_Present_

Bashir who was also in Quarks came over with the destroyed device

"If you're talking about this Sentinel as soon as you left I turned it off and then along with O'Brian we smashed the device so that it couldn't be used again"

"Thanks Doctor Bashir I owe you one"

"How about you let me check you out so that we know for sure that device didn't do anything worse than give you a nasty headache for a few moments?"

"Sure that's a new type of Force inhibitor and I  _don't_  want to take any chances" (sighs) "I don't think Starfleet or the Republic is going to be too happy about this"

"I think I can give them enough details to replicate the device for training, at least for Starfleet because you guys will encounter more of these types knowingly or not"

"Okay, maybe Starfleet or the Republic can figure out counter measures for us Jedi"

"We'll see now then, time for a quick scan to make sure you're fine"

Ashland checks out okay and goes back to the ship and sees several messages which she needs to answer which she does. Two days later they were cleared to go on a new mission, a day after Ashland and the Captain discussed things with Command on how she fit into the command structure and also about the new Force inhibitors

_The day before_

"All right, we will admit some of what we felt was that you would work everything out while you were in the Republic, however we are indeed remiss in having a means of telling you how you fit if you failed to do so while so far away"

"The reason that never happened is because we were all essentially working under the Republic which meant that I was basically acting as a Knight under the command of the Jedi Council"

"We understand, we have decided that if you feel a disturbance in the Force you can act on your own and countermand any orders your Captain gives, after that for the level you are at you are to follow the usual pip rules Entry is Ensign, Freshman is Lt. junior grade, Sophomore is Lt., First Junior is Lt. Commander, Second Junior is Commander, High Junior is Captain and Senior is Admiral"

"Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"Because we figured you would know that or you would decide how you fall within the rank structure yourself, like I said we didn't exactly plan on you guys not making the plan yourself, however there is one difference"

"How so?"

"Even if you haven't had time served as long as others might have in the same rank, if something happens that forces people of the same rank to have to take charge of a situation you outrank them due to your abilities"

"Understood Admiral, what about the Cadets?"

"They follow the rank system of normal cadets except they also have command of any situation if it's called for"

"Do they know?"

"Yes we've told them"

"Very well sir, I'll leave you to talk to the Captain about our next mission"

The next mission started out fine but quickly went wrong, everyone was caught in an explosion and when they were all awake they saw that most of the leaders of the planet were in the same position. Only some rebels which the planet hadn't told Starfleet about were free and they taunted everyone pretty fast. Though the minister got a shock at the fact that some of his support people were part of the rebels he took it in stride

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you Minister seeing as how we've told the people you've been abducted by the rebels, and as for the Starfleet group we've told your ship that you're dead, killed in the explosion the rebels caused to prevent you from doing anything when they made their move"

"That won't work that easily, they'll scan for our life-signs and find out that you're lying"

"Except that wrist band masks life signatures, now then if you don't mind I have a country to keep calm so I'll see you later"

As soon as the group leaves with only a token guard nearby Ashland asks a very important question

"Who here thinks they have the highest rank?"

A security officer speaks up

"I believe I do unless someone has a higher rank than Lt. junior grade"

No one did because it was only a few Ensigns and security officers per the agreement with the government, though only now did they understand why that was

"Minister would there be any ships we could take once we break out of here?"

"Yes, it's small won't hold more than ten people but it's very fast, we mainly use it for diplomatic missions that take me off planet"

"Works for me, by the way Sentinel why didn't you sense anything before the explosion?"

"Simple, they were acting normally and the devices were masked somehow"

"You didn't even get one bad feeling about things before hand?"

"No and that's actually a concern considering what everyone who's a Starfleet officer knows about me, unless...oh that's not good"

"What is it? I also want to know if you can use your abilities to get us out of here"

"I can't for the very reason why they managed to fool me, everyone on this planet is slightly Force sensitive and since I wasn't actively seeking out Force users they managed to get passed my shields and training with none of their own, I do believe this makes me officially in charge now Lt."

"Yep, you out rank me even though you only have the equivalent of being an Ensign"

The Minister speaks up

"How does that work anyhow, and what exactly is this Force you're talking about?"

"The Force is...not something easily explained Minister, especially not right now, as for how I outrank him despite my lower rank, because the enemy is slightly Force sensitive that gives me jurisdiction thanks to my abilities. I must say that I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner, but now that I know I can easily use my training to the advantage"

"Do it Sentinel, and by the way, if it takes a few days I think we should use annoy tactics on the enemy to help distract them"

"Sorry Lt. but that won't easily work with Force sensitives, even untrained people are slightly immune to distractions because the Force can easily figure out low level distractions, higher level not so easily but since we don't have the tools we need for high level distractions I'll just have to do my best to be quick about freeing us, Minister are you staying here or going when we make our escape?"

"Staying I might be able to stall people if I do"

"Okay, what are you going to tell your people when we leave about them being slightly Force sensitive and also about the lying officials?"

"Well about the officials I don't know quite yet, but I  _will_  tell them that our ability to sense things normal people wouldn't is a special ability and one we should be careful about when dealing with people not native to our planet. We might need some training so that if something big happens we don't overtly use our abilities and scare people off"

"I'll talk to the council about it but don't expect much"

"Understood"

"So Sentinel seeing as how you are now in charge what's the plan?"

"For now I think we should try and establish a pattern, we'll also need to get these bracelets off so that Starfleet knows that we're alive, but maybe before we do that we can mask our signatures to the enemy so that they don't know we've escaped too soon"

"We'll figure it out, but can't you use the Force to sense if anything is dangerous?"

"Can't, remember they're slightly Force sensitive"

The Minister and his other people that were prisoner looked on and then the security chief speaks up


	8. Chapter 8

"Maybe you can't but if you tell me what it feels like when something is booby trapped I can do that for you so that you don't reveal yourself"

"That will work"

So the two work together and find that the bracelet isn't booby trapped, it really was just masking their life-signs to Starfleet

"Well that's the good news, now we have to totally mask our life-signs until we get off the planet and closer to any Starfleet vessel"

"Well, we actually use these to track criminals to make sure they aren't were they shouldn't be so I should be able to modify it like they have"

"Great, but we should still try and establish a pattern to make our escape slightly easier"

"Maybe we can do that if they take us for questioning or something else"

For the next two weeks a pattern is established and the group makes plans to avoid patrols. Finally Ashland decided that the time was right, because they noticed things weren't as secure at night that was when they decided to escape

"Okay, time for our escape, how long do you think you need to modify these bracelets?"

"Ten minutes because I make the criminal trackers or repair old ones and it takes about a minute to modify these things to certain specifications"

"Okay then let's do it"

Ten minutes later the Starfleet officers were completely masked and they made their escape. Using the route they decided was the best a week earlier they slowly made their way to the small diplomatic ship which was surprisingly still there

"You know they'll know as soon as the engines are started and the bay doors are opened, we didn't think about that"

"Oh I have that covered"

"How Sentinel?"

"Easy, with the Ministers help I gave the people of the planet a mild Force suggestion to ignore any ship noises from this area"

"How did you manage that?"

"Easy, I simply amplified his Force abilities temporarily, the suggestion will last for five hours"

"Which means we still have four hours before they think anything strange from this area"

"Let's go"

They quickly get things on the move with getting the ship off of the planet and still ultimately had three hours before the Force suggestion ended

"So this ship can go to warp six as it's maximum warp"

"Do it, and lets start getting these bracelets off, by the way Lt. I need to be at the helm so you give the orders unless we're in the midst of battle, I also want you to talk to any Federation ship we come across as the most senior member of the crew"

"Understood Sentinel, so we're basically going back to status quo for rank system?"

"Yes it's the best thing for us, minus battle"

"Okay, once we enter Federation space tell me so that I can give set coordinates"

"Yes sir"

They quickly get the bracelets off and soon enter Federation space which once they entered they were actually stopped

"Sir we're being hailed, by a Romulan ship"

"On Screen"

"What are you doing in Federation space, and why are you posing as dead officers?"

"I am Lt. Junior Grade Forsely who are you?"

"I am the ships Captain T'lek, of the Romulan vessel  _Sor'an_  like I said you have entered Federation space and are impersonating dead officers"

"Come over Captain T'lek and we'll prove that we're for real"

"How about you surrender and we'll do the proper scans on my ship in my brig"

"I don't think so we don't know if..."

"Lt. we should do as he says, he's getting really agitated and might do something everyone regrets later, besides I would like to find out if the alliance has actually gone further than when I last knew about it"

"Very well Captain T'lek we'll surrender"

They wind up in the Romulan brig and it's quickly proven it's them and thus they are quickly released

"We'll act as escort for now so that you aren't stopped until you guys get to Earth"

"That will be fine Captain"

Ashland speaks up

"Captain last I knew the Neutral Zone was still in place and we were simply allies, has there been any changes in that or is that the same?"

"Actually we officially became part of the Federation a week ago"

"And Ambassador Spock's efforts for reunification?"

"Slow going but since we became part of the Federation much better"

"Completely understandable, so you are escorting us back to our ship?"

"No Earth, you guys need to debrief the President, by the way how are you guys alive?"

"They had rebels on the planet that faked our deaths, they used bracelets to mask our life-signs and faked our deaths in an explosion"

"Care to show us one of those bracelets?"

"Sure, by the way, did you know your pilot is Force sensitive?"

"Yes, however he decided to stay with us for now, if he wants formal training he will ask for it later"

They soon make it to Earth and they do indeed debrief the President, including the fact that the people of the planet were slightly Force sensitive

"That's why they were so good at hiding the rebels and also why they seemed like the perfect planet for so long, it was only when they 'killed' us that they were discovered because of me being a Jedi"

"Well, we'll keep an eye on things thing, but I hope the Minister can take care of the problem on his own but if not well, who knows"

"By the way, the system that was designed in regards to Jedi works, I was in charge until we stole the ship, once we were far enough away I gave the Lt. control again, but he trusted me while on planet"

"Good to know, that should help with the Captain's who have Jedi once the cadets graduate"

"Sir, when will we be allowed to go back to the  _Texas_?"

"Soon but first, Sentinel Portland front and center!"

Ashland goes in front of the President who brings out a purple star signifying she was now a Lt. Junior Grade


	9. Chapter 9

"In the face of danger and the willingness to lead when no others could, for trusting your feelings and allowing everyone to do their part when possible I hereby promote you to the rank of Freshman Sentinel, may you execute the duties of your new station faithfully"

"Thank you Mr. President I am honored by a promotion that happened when I was just doing my job as a Jedi and what I feel is not rightfully earned"

"Ah but you saved several lives by keeping a cool head and you found out about them being Force Sensitive, not many others would be able to keep calm, even though only you and other Jedi can tell if someone is Force sensitive they might still panic, or even worse not be able to do much because of the planet's Force sensitivity"

They eventually make it back to the  _Texas_  and it's quite obvious that Ashland was given a promotion due to what she did in the line of duty, because she didn't know it but before the explosion her actions for the rest of the crew that had been with them saved their lives and they requested a posthumous promotion for Ashland for her actions in saving their lives which the President granted, and then simply gave her her rightful promotion when it was discovered she was alive

"Welcome back everyone, it's good to see you again, I actually fainted when I heard that you were alive, because I thought my orders had killed you"

"No Captain, you couldn't have known about the rebels in fact  _we_  didn't know until we woke up in what was essentially a dungeon and the Ministers people revealed themselves"

"Wait so the Ministers own cabinet was in on everything?"

"Yes they were"

"OK you were right we couldn't have known, but what's this I have heard about the planet's people being Force sensitive?"

"Yeah, I didn't notice it until I focused on why I was tricked by them that I found out"

"Very well then, now come on we have a mission to accomplish, oh and Sentinel, you'd better contact the Jedi Council because they were told you were dead and I don't think anyone has told them otherwise yet, so you take care of that now and then report to sickbay, Doctor Kohler needs your help with a few things including the bacta"

"They still can't figure that out?"

"Well, it's more like the bacta tank that's the problem"

"Oh, that can be finicky if you don't know what you're doing, okay I can do that, anything else the doctor needs me for?"

"Just the tank, but she also wants you to re-certify as a field medic just in case"

"Fine, all Jedi are field medics anyways, the healers are the experts in regards to the act of healing but we need to be able to take care of each other and others if something happens in the field so I'm fine with her checking to make sure I can still do that"

"See you at a later date, but remember you should contact the Jedi Council first due to you being declared dead a short while ago"

Ashland quickly contacts the Jedi Council and explains the error in declaring her dead which they easily accept because it was indeed quite natural to be deemed dead if their life-signs were masked and there were no other Jedi on board to sense her Force signature. She then went to sickbay so that she could help the doctor with the bacta tank and re-qualify as a field medic which actually did take all her shift because it turned out the computer was continuously marking the tank as a foreign system and wouldn't cooperate in keeping the tank functional

"Okay I think I know how to get the tank to work, when did you get this anyways?"

"Two days after you were declared dead, we were scheduled to get the tank a week after you were declared dead but they moved it up after that incident so that if there were any serious injuries we have a chance to save their lives if at all possible"

"And it hasn't worked since?"

"Well it's more of a we have the tank then the system crashes and the tank doesn't work, and that just continued until you just stated you can get the tank to work"

"Okay, oh and once I get the tank fully online I will test to make sure I still qualify as a field medic"

Portland does indeed qualify as a field medic and soon enough she and a few others were on a peaceful expedition mission on a newly discovered planet that as far as they could tell didn't have any people living on it, unfortunately that didn't mean it wasn't without life, because the animals were very dangerous and she and an Ensign who had split up from the main group ran into major trouble. Ashland fell down a steep cliff barely managing to grab the edge

"Ensign Lockland I need you to take this back to the rendezvous point, if there is no one there you are to contact the ship yourself and get this to the Captain"

With those words she hands over her lightsaber and then loses her grip falling into a deep chasm. The Ensign went back to the rendezvous point and was indeed alone

"Ensign Lockland to the  _Texas_  one to beam up"

He is quickly beamed back to the ship and then does something that doesn't make sense seeing as how no one knew about the orders Freshman Portland gave him

"Computer location of the Captain"

"The Captain is on the bridge"

Lockland goes to the bridge and goes right to the Captain's chair

"Captain, per my orders given to me by Freshman Sentinel Portland I have something for you"

He holds out his hands and the Captain takes the object from the Ensign

"Portland's lightsaber, how did you get it?"

"She gave it to me sir, right before she fell down a chasm, she ordered my to return to the rendezvous coordinates and get the weapon to you sir"

"Captain, she may yet be alive, Jedi can survive things most people can't, at least that's one of the stories I've heard"

"Quite correct Commander, let sickbay know to have the bacta tank ready, meanwhile Lt. Parker will take a security team and Ensign Lockland will take them to the location where he last saw Freshman Portland, Lt. Parker make sure you have climbing equipment, it sounds like it will be needed"

"Understood sir"

They quickly get a team together and Ensign Lockland quickly gets the team back to the chasm where Portland was last seen, they get down several feet when they finally reach Ashland. The field medic of the team checks her to see if she was alive and got a pleasant surprise

"Lt. Fong to the  _Texas_ "

"This is the  _Texas_  go ahead Fong"

"Two to beam directly to sickbay"

The two quickly disappear in a transporter beam while the rest of the team climbs back up to the top. Meanwhile in sickbay on the  _Texas_  Fong and Portland wind up in the center of sickbay where Fong quickly transfers Portland to a bed

"She needs medical attention badly"

"First let's stabilize her and then get her into the bacta tank good thing we had it ready ahead of time just in case she was alive"

They quickly stabilize her and then transfer her to the bacta tank

"Now all we can do is wait and see"

Several hours later the Captain came down to sickbay to check on Portland

"How is she?"

"She can still go either way sir, like I told the Lt. earlier all we can do is wait and see, that she's still alive is a good thing but right now we're currently going hour by hour, which is slightly better than going minute by minute"

"Keep me posted on her condition, what about the rest of the original away team?"

"They're fine, a little surprised at how bad off Portland is but physically they're okay, though you might want to talk to the team leader, he's blaming himself for deciding to split the team up into smaller units and sending and Ensign and the equivalent of a Lt. Junior Grade off into the wild alone"

"How long will she be in the bacta tank?"

"I have no idea sir, right now I feel that's the only thing currently keeping her alive"

"Do you know if she ever went into a healing trance?"

"Sir, she wouldn't have had time to go into a trance"

"What do you mean?"

"Sir from what I can figure out she was unconscious the moment she hit where she landed, she's lucky she isn't dead right now, now then I can't tell if she's in a coma or not but what I can tell you is that if we had waited even half an hour longer for any aspect of the sequence of events she would be dead right now and only the Probation Sentinel's would be left and they're still in their first year of training"

"How long until you know anything more definitive?"

"Right now I simply don't know sir, I can't do anything other than monitor her and make sure she's still alive" (sighs) "I think if she makes it past a week we should be good but I simply don't know, maybe the Jedi council will know something I don't but unfortunately right now I simply don't have access to them due to the fact that we're still working out the system bugs on how contact with them works, who has priority when, and if we'll be able to simply access a single section that specializes in something and we need that for whatever reason. If Portland were awake we'd have no problems because as a Jedi she has to be in contact with the Jedi council at a moments notice even all the way out here while she's acting as a Starfleet officer"

"Maybe I might be able to get you access to them through the fact that I am currently the only Captain who has a Jedi on board their ship, thus there's bound to be things popping up that I might not know off hand and there's no information in the database that covers the situation, like right now"

"Is that part of what took you so long to come down here sir?"

"Yes, and don't worry I figured you wouldn't really have time to look up information that the Republic and Jedi council sent seeing as how you've had to be really careful in regards to Portland's care, so I decided to do some research for you so that I could help if possible"

"Thanks for the thought sir but I think what I really need right now is a Jedi healer...or as good as one, tell me do you know of any Betazoid doctors or Vulcan healers nearby?"

"I'm not sure, but Vulcan's are touch telepaths they wouldn't be able to do much in this case seeing as how they are separated by glass"

"Except that I've discovered even when unconscious, Ashland constantly sends out a slight Force signature, I don't know if that's something she trained to happen or if it just naturally happens to her but if the Vulcan's touch the glass they should be able to reach her, at least that's the theory"

"We'll see if your theory pans out at another date, in the meantime I'll check on trying to find a Betazed doctor, even if it's not one affiliated with Starfleet they should be willing to help. I will also see about getting you in contact with a Jedi healer"

"While you're doing that I think I'm going to get some sleep everyone here knows to call me if her vitals change"

For the next several days the Doctor and Jedi council talked back and forth while Ashland remained unconscious in the bacta tank


	10. Chapter 10

"How's Sentinel Portland doing so far today Doctor?"

"Same as yesterday Healer D'lan, the Betazed doctor that arrived yesterday is actually confused because she can sense that Portland is mentally active but nothing else, we don't know if she's in a trance, a coma or just deeply unconscious and the tank is preventing her from showing us just how well she's doing"

"Well considering what you've told me the fact that there's been no change isn't necessarily a good thing, but it's also not a bad thing"

"What do you suggest because everyone else is pretty much out of ideas"

"Try taking her out of the tank, if she lasts to another bed she might be on the mend finally"

"We'll try, though actually I think we should start with just turning the tank off, if she's stable after that we'll move her to another bio-bed"

"That actually might work better, once she starts healing I want all the reports you've made about her condition since she first arrived back in your sickbay, it could prove useful both here and in your Starfleet medical, seeing as how more Jedi are willing to join every year"

"When's the next group coming to test then?"

"They'll start the journey in about six months, meanwhile some of them are still on missions and the rest are studying your part of the universe and helping protect your representatives"

"People are still threatening them?"

"Yes but so far no one's succeeded"

"Does anyone have any leads?"

"Not that I'm aware of, listen I'm actually about to get swamped so how about we end our conversation now and when you or I have an update talk to each other again if it happens before tomorrow regular time okay?"

"Sure no problem"

The two people end the communication and then the doctor  _carefully_  shuts down the bacta tank. Ashland actually survives that and so is moved to a bio-bed where three hours later the doctor got the strongest vitals since she first put Portland in the tank in the first place

"Doctor to bridge"

"Bridge here go ahead"

"Captain, I do believe Sentinel Portland is finally on the mend"

"On my way"

Not ten minutes later the Captain was in sickbay and at looking at the vitals of Portland was quite relieved that everything was finally going right when suddenly her vitals changed again

"Doctor something's wrong"

The doctor looks and actually smiles

"Nothing's wrong Captain, actually I was hoping this would happen"

"What is it then?"

"She's gone into a healing trance Captain, she should be awake at the very least within two days and up and about on light duty within two weeks"

Sadly that never happened a day after Ashland awoke the ship was attacked and Portland was told that it was by a bunch of people who really didn't like Jedi or the fact that Romulus was now part of the Federation, seeing as how she was both a Jedi and a Starfleet officer she was in double trouble

"Understood Captain, I will do my best to escape with at least one other person here in sickbay"

She actually sees an Ensign and tells him to come with her, but first she takes a synthetic Force inhibitor that Starfleet had designed when she first arrived and once they and the Republic became allies actually had the Republic's and Jedi councils approval as a safety measure

_One day earlier_

"By the way there's one more thing you don't know about since your return"

"What?"

"This"

She brings out a hypo which Ashland actually recognizes due to the different color it had on the end

"Ah, the synthetic Force inhibitor, doctor I helped design the thing back when I first came to this galaxy after I explained the Force to them it lasts for forty-eight hours which should buy us enough time to get out of danger in most cases"

"If you are ordered to take this immediately, in fact once you're discharged I would like you to have this on you at all times"

"When will that happen?"

"Day after tomorrow if you're cooperative"

"Fine by me"

"Oh by the way, I think you'll be wanting  _this_  back with you, the officer you gave it to took care of it by the way just like you asked"

The doctor hands Ashland her lightsaber back

"Thanks, and thank the Ensign when you next see him, I will be a bit busy once I leave sickbay this time and you know it"

_Present_

"Come on Ensign into the Jeffries tube"

They crawl through the tubes until finally they reach their destination

"What are we doing at an escape pod when you know that will be noticed?"

"Just get in"

She pushes the Ensign in and starts the sequence

"You know we're going to be caught right?"

"That's where you're wrong Ensign, you see this escape pod was especially designed once Command fully understood who I was and was tested carefully, there will be no alarms set off when we escape"

"Fine but you also know this is the start of an invasion right? I think we need to get to Starfleet Command and make our report personally"

"Unfortunately that's not going to work because we have way too many things against us to make it work, fortunately for us we have allies we can go to"

"Oh really like who?"

"The New Republic, it will take us about six months to get there but it's better than being here, plus I can hide much easier being far away from these guys seeing as how they hate Force users"

"Fine but why take a lowly Ensign who just graduated from the Academy?"

"Well I could only choose one person and considering how fast the enemy was I didn't have much time so I chose you because you may be new to Starfleet but you have potential. I am going to train you to the best of my abilities while in the pod, now then hold on because the ejection can get a little bumpy"

They eject and start heading away when they were discovered by a second ship, that had Federation weaponry

"Sentinel we've got incoming"

"Computer detonate missiles on my orders authorization Alpha 5 Zulu 7 Bravo 1476 Omega 17339...detonate"

The bombs following them do indeed detonate saving them and they quickly go into warp


	11. Chapter 11

"So how long is the journey again?"

"Six and a half months"

"Do you know if we're being followed?"

"Not sure Ensign but I think we're safe for now"

For the next six months Ashland taught the Ensign what she could in the escape pod and finally they made it to Coruscant

"Sentinel Portland to Coruscant control come in"

"This is Coruscant control go ahead Sentinel Portland"

"Requesting permission to head directly to the Jedi temple"

"Negative, head to the Senate, Federation representatives need report, they said that they haven't heard anything from their superiors in five months"

"Five months!? I understand control heading directly to the Senate"

Ten minutes later the two officers were being escorted to where the representatives currently were, which was with two new Senators

"Ah, here are two Starfleet officers Senators, they should be able to explain their organization better than we are unfortunately"

"Sorry Representative Sola but we need to talk in private"

"Surely you have time to explain how Starfleet works, sadly we've been doing poorly in our explanations, seeing as how you're here you can take over"

"Situation Omega 9"

"Oh, sorry Senators but you can't stay, you don't have the right clearance to hear what they are about to say, maybe they can explain Starfleet later?"

"Actually, seeing as how the Ensign is new to the whole thing how about he explains Starfleet to the Senators while I explain the current situation to you"

"But Sentinel..."

"That's an order Ensign"

"Yes Sentinel"

Two hours later Ashland tapped her commbadge

"Sentinel Portland to Ensign Delgado"

"Ensign Delgado here go ahead"

"We've finished the needed conversation you can come back with the two Senators now"

"On our way"

Five minutes later everyone was together again and Ashland explained some of the other things about Starfleet that they asked about, seeing as how according to them Ensign Delgado apparently couldn't explain some of what they asked about

"I'm honestly not surprised he didn't know any of that information especially because he graduated before other Jedi started to join"

"You know Sentinel these two will have to know some of what brought us here in the first place when we go to the Senate meeting tomorrow"

(Sighs) "I know but only the essentials and that's for everyone except our Representatives because they deserved the whole story"

"But considering what we're asking of them..."

"I know, and honestly I'm hoping beyond hope that some of my plan tomorrow works because otherwise...well it won't just be you listening to my orders Ensign and you know why"

"You're right I do"

The next day the Senate talks about several other things but finally the Federation Representatives were called forward and Portland was standing next to them

"Representative Norway why is there a Starfleet officer with you?"

"Because Senator she has critical information that I didn't give you yesterday when I requested being the main speaker of this meeting"

"Then can the officer state her name, rank and why she is here?"

"I am Freshman Sentinel Ashland Portland of Starfleet and I come here before you today to tell you that the Federation has most likely fallen, though I am hoping with your permission to use Senate equipment to try and reach any surviving ship. My ship the  _Texas_  was attacked six and a half months ago, one and a half months before the Representatives lost contact with the President of the United Federation of Planets, that attack was swift and precise. I escaped with Ensign Delgado per my orders after taking a Force inhibitor that Starfleet made when I first joined them that lasted for forty-eight hours due to the fact that the enemy was targeting Jedi for unknown reasons. I am requesting that due to the loss of Federation space you allow the Federation to start rebuilding here in the Republic, even if it only starts with the Ensign and I at least it's a start"

"I will of course allow that, now then who do you want to contact so that you have more than just us fighting back?"

"I am going to contact the flagship of the Federation. Freshman Sentinel Portland to  _USS ENTERPRISE_  come in please...Sentinel Portland to  _Enterprise_  respond...United Federation of Planets  _USS ENTERPRISE_  please respond"

Finally they get a response

"This is Captain Picard of the  _Enterprise_  go ahead Sentinel"

Ashland lets out a huge sigh of relief before responding

"Captain how many ships are still in existence?"

"Only three of us are still able to fight, and that's because we're either lucky or have managed to stay alive through strategy"

"Are there any planets still free?"

"Just Cardassia and they aren't even part of the Federation, plus they are close to falling as well"

"And the Dominion?"

"They too were conquered"

"I see, can the three surviving ships make it to Republic space in decent time?"

"Describe decent and why Republic space?"

"Decent would be within eight months factoring in any engine damage, and Republic space because quite frankly that's where I am right now and it's the only safe place I could think of"

"Wait, where's your ship?"

"Captain Picard, I thought you knew that the  _Texas_  was the first ship to fall"

"Sorry Sentinel I didn't know, things happened so fast I didn't get full reports"

"Understood Captain"

"We'll be there within seven months Sentinel I promise"

"Thanks Captain Picard, in the meantime I think the Republic is going to start drills so that when you arrive all we'll have to do is integration drills so that we can all work seamlessly"

The conversation ends and then other issues in regards to the loss of the Federation was discussed

"Sentinel why don't you lead our forces in battle?"

"Only until Captain Picard arrives, once that happens I will turn command over to whoever has the longest term in rank, which most likely will be Captain Picard"

Seven months later she would turn out to be correct because the other two ships, the  _Melbourne_  and the  _Mississippi_ were actually being commanded by two officers with the rank of Commander

"Captain Picard I officially hand command of our fighting Forces to you"

"Thank you Sentinel Portland, you've been fighting a lot these past seven months haven't you?"

(Sighs in exhaustion) "I have Captain, how did you know?"

"Your eyes, tell me has the enemy that destroyed the Federation made their way here?"

"They've tried but failed every time sir, the most recent battle was two days ago...I think"

"You think?"

The Chancellor speaks up


	12. Chapter 12

"Yes Sentinel the most recent battle was two days ago, honestly I'm not surprised your still confused as to what day it is"

"Sentinel have you been fighting practically every day?"

"No Captain I haven't...though I have fought in most of the battles"

Just then a person in robes comes over having heard the last two sentences

"That's because I've been sedating you on occasion, when that happens sir the Ensign takes over per her orders, but hey at least he knows to occasionally rest"

"I'm the only one who really knows both Republic and Starfleet procedures"

"But not at the expense of your health Sentinel, especially seeing as how you're still healing from the most recent battle"

"But healer V'ron"

"No buts Sentinel, or do you want to bring Master Skywalker into it again?"

"You don't understand healer V'ron I still need to..."

"You need to do nothing but give me a written report and get more rest apparently Sentinel Portland and that's an order"

"Yes Captain Picard"

The healer really looks at the newcomer this time and recognizes the uniform and also the pip rank which he made sure to learn back when the  _Texas_  first arrived almost two years beforehand

"Ah, finally someone who can pull rank besides the Chancellor and occasionally Master Skywalker"

"Wait she doesn't listen to Master Skywalker?"

"While he's the head of the Jedi Order and can give her missions as a Knight she doesn't have to listen to anyone once she starts the mission, and seeing as how it was decided that her mission would be to prepare the Republic to help take back the Federation and the rebuilding process they can't give her specific orders except when it comes to the safety of others and her own health. Even then she's been very good at hiding her true condition"

"Well she'll listen to me as a Captain so I can help you out in regards to that, is that understood Sophomore Portland?"

"Yes sir, but sir I'm not a Sophomore, I'm just a Freshman"

"Actually Portland I decided to give you a field promotion two days ago for your actions in helping save the Federation"

"But sir I only came here because of my orders from my old Captain"

"Yes, but you've taken to training the young Ensign from what I have heard and have helped the Republic to get ready for a war unlike anything they've done so far"

With those words he removes the Purple star and puts on a Red one signifying that she had been promoted a rank

"Now then you are to go back to the healers and get some real rest and listen to them so that you can heal fast"

"Yes sir with a healing trance I should be good to go within a few days"

"Only in regards to your injuries, the exhaustion will take actual rest time"

"Once she can leave the healing ward I expect you to tell me"

"What for Captain?"

"So that you can report to my ship Sentinel, Commander Noland actually needs your Ensign considering he's an engineer and he's lost a few shortly before we came here"

"No problem, tell him that it's orders and he'll obey"

"Fine, by the way I will be needing full reports from the two of you when you can"

"Very well sir give him those orders as well"

Several days later both were actually on the  _Enterprise_  for debriefing when suddenly they went to Red Alert and were told of incoming torpedoes

"Sentinel Portland can stop them like she did last time"

"Only if you want to kill us faster Ensign"

"But Sentinel..."

"Ensign, I don't know how but when I detonated those torpedoes several months ago they managed to hack my authorization code and turn it against us. I can't use that code anymore unless you want to die that much faster"

"And you haven't been able to change your code because you haven't been on a Federation ship with someone the rank of Captain or above"

"Exactly Captain, and I also haven't quite had time to change it since you got here"

"So if our authorization codes are useless what's the plan?"

"Take it easy number one, we'll think of something"

"I might have a plan but we have two problems with it"

"What is your plan Sentinel?"

"Well the plan is I take a shuttle and make it a lovely target via my authorization codes but the two problems are the plan might not work and since I've been in the Republic I haven't really gotten meditation time even with everyone doing their best to give me that time, seeing as how they understand the Federation has mandatory meditation requirements for Jedi"

"Which means your emotional control is practically shot isn't it?"

"Yes Commander it is, there have been several times where I have come very close to Force chocking someone but I manage to stop myself before I do"

"Then I am ordering you not to pursue this plan until you've had several proper meditation sessions and there will be no compromise in this Sophomore Sentinel Portland we don't want a repeat of the Academy now do we?"

Portland knew that with her full rank said Picard was serious about his order

"Yes sir I understand"

"In the meantime launch torpedoes to destroy the other ones"

They quickly destroy the other torpedoes and then the Ensign makes a pretty valid comment

"You know, you've been promoted pretty quickly within these almost two years"

"She continually meets the requirements for promotion but I will recommend in your file that you don't have anymore promotions for at least three years Portland, you need time to actually adapt to your rank the Ensign does have a point there"

"No problem Captain, I haven't said anything because it's not my place to question my superiors but I also have been feeling like I've been promoted a bit quickly"

"For now let's just allow you some meditation time and if you still like the plan then we will allow you to go through with it, but I have a feeling this plan was made with frayed emotions"

"In the meantime number one we have a training session"

"By the way, when will you guys start fighting back?"

"Soon Sentinel, but the Republic is the one requesting at least another month of training to be sure that we are working well together"

"Understood Captain, understood, well I'm going to my quarters for some meditation, by the way did you get my reports?"

"Yes, you've done good work preparing them for our procedures, the main reason they want another month of training is the maneuvering aspect of their wing fighters against our ships and occasionally shuttle crafts"

"Makes sense I guess"

Several days later Sentinel was on the bridge at tactical for a training exercise when she suddenly cried out in pain and grabbed her head


	13. Chapter 13

"Sentinel are you okay?"

"Something's happened to the  _Mississippi_  I don't know exactly what, but something's happened"

" _Enterprise_ to  _Mississippi_ respond please... _Enterprise_ to _Mississippi_ respond... _Mississippi_ this is the _Enterprise_  answer me...Sentinel try and scan the area where the _Mississippi_ is supposed to be  _Enterprise_ to _Mississippi_ respond"

Finally they got a response not from the  _Mississippi_  but from a fighter who said that there was a sudden explosion either on or near the  _Mississippi_  he couldn't be quite sure due to where the explosion happened which was where they knew the warp core was located

"Did you sense this Sentinel?"

"I sensed something happened to fellow officers but I wasn't sure what, hopefully the  _Mississippi_  will contact us soon so we can get official details"

Not two minutes later they get a report from the  _Mississippi_  that was broken up but at least they knew the ship was still able to support life, though most likely it would need some major repairs before it was truly fight capable again

"Well looks like we have an exercise to stop so that the  _Mississippi_  can be repaired"

"They have lost people Captain now that things have calmed down slightly I can tell that lives have been lost but just how many remains to be seen"

"Don't worry we'll think of something, are you sure you can continue Sentinel?"

"Yes, I can continue as long as I am needed"

They quickly get back to Coruscant and the damage to the  _Mississippi_ was vast and repairs would indeed be extensive. The  _Enterprise_  and  _Melbourne_  broke up their crews to help replace the fifteen lives lost in the explosion. When they finally got word the  _Mississippi_  was repaired Ashland decided to go to the temple to see if any Jedi would be willing to join the crew of the  _Mississippi_  not as Starfleet officers but Jedi who knew how to fight which they did. Though it took a few days for everyone to adapt, so while the Jedi were adapting to a starship the two replacement crews showed them the ropes, though the same stipulation to serve on the  _Mississippi_  was the same as the stipulation for them to join Starfleet in the first place

_A few days earlier when the Mississippi was finally ready for replacement crews_

"Why can't we Padawans help, especially the older ones closer to Knighthood, after all we pass the age cap this Starfleet has set"

"The rules are the rules, even if the Federation has gone to chaos we will obey them is that clear Padawan Cho?"

"Yes Knight Portland"

"That's  _Sentinel_  Portland to you Padawan, and that's part of the reason why Knights with Padawans aren't allowed to be part of Starfleet because the Padawans even close to Knighthood still have things to learn from their Masters"

"But it's not fair, why do our Masters have to be left behind when they've learned everything and have earned the right to serve others?"

That was the wrong thing to say and Portland saw that Luke was getting really close to reprimanding the Padawan but she caught his eyes and shook her head, indicating that she wanted to deal with the upstart herself and he gave her a nod of approval

"I challenge you to a right of honor saber duel, but only after I show you a weapon of my fellow Starfleet officers, which if set at it's highest setting can disintegrate a person but for us Jedi will just knock a person unconscious, since we don't kill if we can avoid it, though I will ask for a volunteer because I will not use this weapon against a fellow Jedi without permission"

As it turned out Picard had come to the temple to talk to the Jedi about what life aboard a starship and spoke up right after that having heard the Padawan talk about the unfairness of Knights who had Padawans being unable to join

"I'll take that blow Sentinel, as a demonstration of it's power and then I will use my phaser against a training robot to show the power of a killing blow"

They all turn at his voice and Portland instantly stands at attention

"Are you sure of this Captain? I don't want you to miss the duel and you know as well as I a full blown stun can knock a person out for at least an hour"

"Don't worry I figured this might happen so I asked doctor Crusher to give me a counter measure to the stun so that I'm not unconscious for too long, just five minutes or so"

"If you're sure Captain"

"I'm sure"

With those words Ashland stuns the Captain and six minutes later he wakes up and Luke activates the training robot which Picard quickly destroys

"That is the kill setting"

"That is a very powerful weapon, now then Sentinel Portland and Padawan Cho have a duel"

Ashland and Cho quickly get to the duel arena and they start fighting, everyone could tell that Ashland was holding back to give the Padawan at least a chance to fight back, but eventually Ashland got serious and she quickly got the upper hand and beat the Padawan

"I have fought enemies that would make you cry Padawan, sure most were in simulation but they had some means of countering a lightsaber, I was there in the new battle for Naboo and had my phaser be useless and very glad I had a lightsaber, I assure you Padawan that you would not be ready for a space battle with Starfleet, you aren't ready for Starfleet training if you are questioning policies Starfleet put into place for  _your_  safety and ratified by the Jedi Council once I came back and explained to them their reasons for doing so"

"They also aren't ready if they don't fully understand the implications of what we are doing here in the Republic training everyone against our technology"

"True that Captain Picard"

"What are you doing?"

"Sedition Jedi Knight, Sedition"

"Sorry Captain Picard that's not true and you know it, what we're doing would be counted as treason pure and simple if not for the fact that we're fighting to bring back the Federation"

"You guys are a rebellion, that's what I was part of when we were taking down the Empire to reestablish the Republic we were the Rebel Alliance"

"Well whatever you want to call it we're fighting our own people in a fight to bring back what we all believe in"

"If I could I would join you, but I'm needed here to lead the Jedi that stay behind, as such I am appointing Sentinel Portland as the ultimate leader of the Jedi that help Starfleet regain the Federation"

"Considering I have to obey orders of those who have higher rank I'm not sure just how much I'll be doing in regards to orders, though if you feel a disturbance in the Force you are allowed to act on it without proper authorization, and that has happened at least once since the whole agreement"

"When was that Sentinel? I never heard"

"Remember the colony mission right before DS9 was discovered to be taken over by enemies?"

"Oh that mission I heard the  _Texas_  was assigned that mission"

"Yep, I stayed away from one of the buildings even though I was ordered to remain with my team, instead I went to another area and fought some people that really hated people trying to recolonize the area, once I took them down I saved the people in the building collapse by keeping the ceiling up long enough for everyone else to escape without teleporting out"

"Meditation or feeling?"

"Both, I was meditating on the way and saw chaos and danger, then the mission started out fine but I suddenly had the feeling that I was needed else where's and when we were ordered to the building I left the unit without telling anyone else and went to where I felt I was needed. I was reprimanded initially by the team leader until I explained to the Commander that I had both a vision and a feeling in the Force that I had to act on before heading to the location I was ordered to"

"Do the rest of the Captain's know about that?"

"Yes, they do, the Commander's probably know as well because I was asked by several Captain's how to handle Jedi should they get the graduates...well before this happened and at least one or two Commander's asked as well so that they fully understood the implications of having Jedi on their ship"

"Meanwhile, the  _Mississippi_  is finally ready for a test run of her engines so that once they are fully tuned all you have to worry about is how the ship runs and operates in emergency situations"

"And for that some of my crew and the crew of the  _Melbourne_  will be with you guys while you learn how to live on a starship, once that happens we will continue exercises until we are sure we are fully integrated and your people are fully capable of fighting against the rest of the fleet"

_Present_

"Sentinel I think you need to go to Engineering, something is up and it might be the combination tech"

"Understood sir"

It turns out it  _was_  the technology combination, the warp core just wasn't taking well to some of the modifications made to some of what made it work. Plus sickbay was also having trouble with the bacta tank that they had, fortunately Ashland knew exactly what was needed to deal with the issues that were popping up with the technology marriage

"I thought you guys had fixed these issues when the technologies first combined"

"So did we, guess we were wrong Sentinel, though I'm amazed that we've managed to keep things going as long as we have"

"Well now that I'm here I'll see what I can do, Sentinel Portland to Captain Picard"

"This is Captain Picard go ahead"

"Captain you might want to ask the  _Mississippi_  and the  _Melbourne_  if they've had any problems with the two technologies being combined as well, if they have I'm going to be a bit busy, especially on the  _Mississippi_  which has recently had repairs anyways"

"Understood Sentinel I will get back to you on their reports as soon as possible"

It turns out that both did indeed need Ashland's help in regards to getting the two technologies to combine seamlessly so over all it took Ashland two and a half days to get everything in order for all three ships. Finally though they got things working correctly and finishing up the training. Eventually everyone was ready to simply go back to the front lines and a few days after they were back in Federation space they had their first battle

"Surrender and your lives may be saved, including the hated Jedi"

"I don't think so, computer initiate emergency self destruct authorization Omega 9 Zulu 7 Tango Tango 11 activate"

The  _Enterprise_  is suddenly gone and the  _Mississippi_  quickly follows making a lot of people mad and those of the  _Melbourne_  didn't listen to the other Jedi or reason, that's because all they could think of is that these were the ones that forced their comrade's hands in initiating the self destruct just so the Jedi wouldn't be tortured to death. They also were really mad that these were the ones who destroyed the Federation with very little resistance


	14. Chapter 14

"For the Federation, the  _Enterprise_ , the  _Mississippi_ , the rest of our comrades, but most especially for the ones that started it all the  _USS TEXAS_!"

They won the battle, though it was close due to how clouded the Commander's judgment was due to her extremely strong emotions. Meanwhile in a remote location there was a group of people getting ready for the next stage of the plan

"Well, time for the next stage of this plan, hope the  _Melbourne_  gets herself under control quickly enough to listen to the Jedi"

"Indeed"

"Remind me again why I even agreed to this insane idea?"

"Uh the continued existence of the Federation maybe?"

"You win, by the way that was a nice plan you had Sentinel Portland"

"Why thank you Commander, took me a few days while working on the ships to come up with it though which I am  _not_  happy about"

"It is what it is Sentinel"

"I know Captain I know"

_Six months earlier_

One day Ashland requested to meet with Picard in private

"What is it Sentinel?"

"Sir I have a feeling the enemy will try and destroy the  _Enterprise_  and the  _Mississippi_  due to there being Jedi on the two ships, I am formally requesting we make a one time use authorization code that will allow me to destroy the two ships from a remote location, which means we will also have to rig the ships to fly by remote as well"

"What about the Republic and the  _Melbourne_  what will they think about us supposedly being dead?"

"The Jedi fighting with the Republic might sense we're still alive and will tell the people that need to know that we're still alive, especially because my former Master is going to be part of those fighting with the Republic troops, unless of course they are killed in battle. The advantage is while the training bond is closed once you become a Knight there's still a slight connection that allows one to know that they're still alive. Not to mention that other Jedi would of course feel a great disturbance in the Force when there is major death, or even the death of one Jedi. It's the  _Melbourne_  that will be the wild card due to emotions"

"As you said, there will be Jedi there, they'll get the  _Melbourne_  under control one way or another"

"True, now to try and get the  _Mississippi_  to go along with the plan and start getting things set up with LaForge's help"

They quickly get things set up with LaForge's help in regards to the  _Enterprise_  but it took a few days for the Commander of the  _Mississippi_  to come on board with the plan and part of the reason why they agreed is that Ashland pulled rank due to her Jedi abilities. Once they reached the Alpha quadrant the two ships lied and said they had to check up on something real quick before rejoining the fleet

_Present_

"Okay now that we've destroyed our ships we're going to have to start a rebellion with the help of this planet's people"

"Good thing they're already part of the Federation and the enemy has paid very little attention to them"

"But from what I can tell it will still take us a while to reach the nearest town, not to mention we probably shouldn't be in such a large group"

"Well let's get going then"

Meanwhile the battle ended in space and the Commander of the  _Melbourne_  asked what they were going to do now that they've lost a lot of lives all at once

"Listen Commander, they're not dead, we Jedi would have felt that massive death amongst allies and we didn't feel that"

"Then where are they?"

"I don't know, I had a training bond with Sentinel Portland that was naturally closed when the training ended but I can still sense her well being through what remains and also through the Force"

"But that's only her that you sense, the rest could still be dead"

"Except we would have felt that, like I said we don't know where they are but they  _are_  alive, you must trust us in this"

"Fine, I'll listen for now, but if we get confirmation that they're dead then I have a right to reserve trust in your feelings in the Force in the future"

"Fine, that wouldn't be such a surprise anyways"

The two groups continue to fight and also get allies to start fighting back, and that mainly started by taking back stations that they could use as ports that could supply and aid the others that were fighting. Six months into the war they finally received word from the  _Mississippi_  and  _Enterprise_  crews, because it had taken them that long to reach a town because they were in a very desolate area. It had been decided by the people of that planet that they would give the two crews the largest ships they had available and have them lead the fighting in their area

"Understood Captain Picard, and everyone managed to survive the journey to town?"

"Yes though it was close a few times with Sentinel Portland and the other Jedi, something on this planet I think"

"Are you sure they should stay on planet and on board the ships then? I mean it could be the atmosphere that those people need as much as it could be the food"

"Or something else entirely, but things seem fine for now so that's the plan we've agreed to"

"Very well how soon can you join up with our efforts?"

"We're not sure, though we think we're actually going to go for Bajoran space seeing as how we're closest to that"

"Captain I do have one request before you sign off"

"What is it?"

"I think I need to talk to Sentinel Portland, I have some questions that need answers and I think only she can answer them"

"Maybe not, if it is a Jedi matter the Jedi with you should be able to answer them just as well"

"It's a little bit more complicated than that Captain"

"Well, she and the other Jedi are currently sparring after two hours of meditation but I'll let her know you need to speak with her when they're done, in the meantime try to ask the Jedi with you they might...one moment"

Picard briefly leaves and when they see someone again it's actually several someone's one obviously with a lightsaber fighting a very tough enemy, the rest were using their phasers

"We're under attack, send word for help Commander"

"Commander tell the Jedi that we have Si..."

The communication is suddenly cut off but the Commander quickly sounds the alarm and gives everyone a report

"...Sentinel Portland also mentioned that the Jedi needed to know that something was there as well but she got cut off, but she did manage to say Si whatever that means"

"Could she be trying to say Sith, the feared enemy of the Jedi"

"Possible, tell me did you see a red lightsaber in the communique?"

"No I didn't but that doesn't mean that there weren't, just might mean they were outside"

"Well let's hurry to aid them, I don't like this one bit, there's a disturbance in the Force that wasn't detectable before"

It took them several weeks and the Jedi were so distracted they requested that they stay either on the Republic or Federation ships instead of flying themselves


	15. Chapter 15

"What's wrong?"

"The Force is crying out daily at the loss of lives both good and evil"

"Do you know how many officers we've lost?"

"No but I can tell you we've lost six Jedi since we last heard from them"

"We'll save what we can, but I have a feeling that your meditations aren't going well at all"

"No all we sense is darkness with occasional light but it's not much, as it is I can no longer tell the health of my former Apprentice, another name we use for Padawan, she may be alive she may not"

"That's not good, when we lost earth we pretty much lost hope of having the Jedi who were cadets surviving the initial invasion, if we've lost the only active duty Jedi Starfleet has this is not going to end well at all"

"We will deal with it when we must, for now though we must focus on the planet, as we've gotten nearer I have felt the dark side of the Force, I think I know what Sentinel Portland was trying to tell us"

"What?"

"That we have Sith artifacts to deal with"

"Sith artifacts are bad aren't they?"

"Yes they are, they will weaken Jedi and tempt us with the dark side of the Force, we must be very careful when we fight on the planet"

"We'll be there within three hours"

"Have the rest of the Jedi been told?"

"Yes they have, and everyone is ready for both a space and land battle"

"Excellent, I should get ready as well then"

They go their separate ways preparing for the battle ahead. Meanwhile after the communication was cut Ashland actually managed to beat her enemy and send the invaders back for a few hours, which gave her time to escape and take more Federation made Force inhibitors, but they did lose six Jedi the rest were alive and also taking Force inhibitors and talking with the survivors.

"What are you going to do about the Sith artifacts Sentinel?"

"Easy we keep taking the inhibitors until we can safely deal with them, we also need to start fighting back as quickly as possible so that our reinforcements have a starting point in regards to helping"

"That can be easily taken care of, but what will the rest of your fellow Jedi do? I have a feeling they are not used to fighting without the use of the Force"

"I will teach them alternate means of fighting"

"Very well I leave them to you then"

Ashland taught them how to use a staff and a few other weapons that those of the Federation either currently or used to use over the next several days

"Just remember our dance lessons when we were young, those lessons are actually rather important because they taught us how to wield our lightsaber, modify the dance for the weapon you have and you can fight effectively I have done so many times in simulations"

"Why simulate fighting with other weapons than your phaser and lightsaber?"

"Because you never know the circumstance of the planet you are on, some have ritual combat rights in order to have respect, others do not allow certain weapons on their planets, and others still will allow the weapons but only under certain circumstances and until then they are to either remain at your side or with the security forces until needed. If any of the situations happen you have to be able to handle another weapon until you can have access to your own if at all possible"

"Have you ever actually needed that skill?"

"Fortunately not, but only just in one case, if we had been discovered I would have been forced to use a weapon I normally wouldn't. Now then continue practice and when I deem you ready we'll have a spar"

"I still don't understand why we have to use Force inhibitors I would rather learn with the Force it's more natural that way"

"It may be more natural Knight Korran but it is also most certainly more dangerous especially with a Sith artifact in use. I will admit that not having access to the Force is hard at first but it is needed plus it will become more natural over time"

"How do you know that?"

"I have had to have Force inhibitors willingly while at the academy and also by force when I was captive a few times, trust me Federation Force inhibitors are much more pleasant than otherwise, we've already lost six of our number due to being able to be identified as Jedi I won't lose more"

"Still can't believe Master Skywalker put you over all the Jedi"

"That's because of my experience in the Federation and more importantly Starfleet"

Picard walked over while they were training...well more like limped over due to his injured knee to give them an update on how secure their location was

"He also told me in private it's because he trusts her to handle any issues both groups might have with each other seeing as how she's used to both sides of pretty much any argument, by the way this area is secure to be used as a base of operations in our resistance"

"Excellent news Captain, who's in charge of the overall running though, seeing as how you're injured"

"I am seeing as how I'm going to be staying at the base but either you or the Commander will be in charge in the field"

"Understood Captain, understood"

"By the way how is training going?"

"Frustrating, they keep wanting to use the Force and I also have to remind them to take their Force inhibitors on a regular basis, which reminds me I took mine a full twelve hours before them I have about an hour left before mine run out again best take it now before I forget"

She quickly takes them and gets back to the group telling them that they were doing it wrong and also to keep their eyes open

"We can fight blindfolded quite easily thank you very much"

"Not when you can't use the Force, trust me I have tried that many a time in simulations back when I was in the academy and I failed"

"We're not you  _Knight_  Portland, we don't limit ourselves like you do"

"That's  _Sentinel_  to you mister, and I never limited myself once the crew of the  _Texas_  knew who I was, what I was, I simply have more practice than you do having no access to the Force, but if you want to be foolish go ahead I won't be to blame for whatever happens to you while blindfolded"

Turns out several of them got severely injured trying to fight blindfolded, but at least they had equipment to handle those injuries

"I tried to warn you not to do that but did you listen to me? I don't think so instead you deliberately went against my orders, and all of this after Master Skywalker put me in charge of you guys, you'd better hope that those coming to our rescue listen to orders better than you do, oh and you guys have to take your Force inhibitors by noon tomorrow I will know if you don't so if I ask don't lie to me"

"We're tired of those things, can we please stop?"

They suddenly hear a voice they all thought dead

"I wouldn't if I were you, unless you want to endure what I did at the hands of those...villains"

They all turn and see the one Master amongst them

"Master Stalin you're alive, what about the others?"

"Dead, I was almost dead myself when I was captured alive, they let me rest for two days before they tortured me until I managed to escape three days ago, took me forever to find this place. If not for a civilian that has yet to learn to check if they're being followed I might never have found it"

"You're welcome Master Stalin, oh and I will let you deal with the reprimands needed for those still resisting my orders even though Master Skywalker put me in charge"

"Fine by me but first anyone have any Force inhibitors I can take? I have only managed to avoid being recaptured by being very very careful to hide myself as much as possible"

"Here, I'm giving you a lower dose than the others so that I can see just how bad off you are with a mild one, once I know that you're doing okay I'll give you the full dose"

"Oh and by the way Sentinel, I see that weapon in your hands, when can I start learning how to use the various weapons?"

"Not until you get my say so Master you need some healing time, good thing we have both bacta and some other technology which means it will only take a few days"

"And the punishment needed?"

"Depends on what you're going to do"

"Well not much for now, but once I am healed I am going to do much more, but for now...three extra hours training with whichever weapon your least comfortable with and two extra hours meditation for the next...how long have they been complaining?"

"Pretty much since the beginning, but especially the past six days"

"Then for the next six days that's how long you'll be doing the extra practice and meditation hours, once I am able and know the weapons we'll have one hour extra one on one spars for each of you"

"Yes Master Stalin"

"For today, I will be looking to the Starfleet officers to ensure you're doing your punishments I need some rest desperately"

"You look it Master, get some rest now that you're here I think I can handle these guys again"

"Sentinel I actually need to talk to you real quick before I get some sleep"

"Yes Master"

They go to a private area and actually talk for about half an hour and then Sentinel comes out obviously in deep thought

"Captain Picard the patrol will need to be doubled for the next few days, fellow Jedi you have your punishment decided by the Master but for now" (deep sigh) "I think for now you're needed at our borders for at least two hours a day when you're not sleeping or undergoing your punishment"

"What's wrong Sentinel?"

"I'll tell you and the Commander in private Captain but trust me it's not good, not good at all"

They go to a semi-private area seeing as how they didn't really have a truly private area except the rest areas set up to allow them some sleep time

"Well this is the best we're going to get in regards to privacy what is it?"

"We can't win without the backup that is most certainly coming Captain, when Master Stalin escaped he heard of a plan to attack several towns just to get started on trying to find us. And if they find out anyone helped us that town will suffer worse than those attacked simply as they're trying to find us. We have maybe three weeks before they start to get really aggressive"

"Don't worry we'll be ready for it"

While they were talking she had gone into what they recognized as a thinking pose unique to her, it was a combination of both a Starfleet pose taught to cadets and what they assumed was a Jedi pose taught when they were giving information or contemplating something suddenly though she left the pose and faces her superiors


	16. Chapter 16

"I don't like it Captain, it almost seems too easy that we got this information, not to mention the fact that while I have been doing my usual meditations with no access to the Force it's not our usual meditation, though it does help sooth us we get no answer from the Force having been cut off, I am officially going by my feelings at this point, feelings that aren't Force influenced"

"Would it help if you had outside information?"

"Possibly, it's not that I don't trust Master Stalin it's just..."

"Everyone is supposed to be dead and suddenly here he is alive"

"Exactly, and it's not just that, as a point of trust he showed me his scars and something seems off about them, I don't know what but there's just something not right it's almost as if..."

She doesn't say anything else simply shakes her head in deep thought

"Anyways the advanced scouts and us at our borders should give us ample warning in case we need to move to a new location"

"Well you're in charge of your fellow Jedi so you should be involved in their placement"

"I might have good locations but I'm still worried, considering just how much we've argued since this whole mess started, even when they heard from Master Skywalker himself placing them under my command as he has to stay in the Republic"

"Speaking of, before we were cut off do you know if they sent any more forces? I also want to know if you've heard about our refugees we brought with us"

"The refugees are fine and have settled into their temporary homes fine, the day before this mess started he said that the Republic was sending six more ships to our aid. I also heard that the Federation representatives have been a huge blessing in regards to the refugees"

"Cultural differences?"

"Not just that which the Republic could handle easily but also dietary differences which are pretty severe in some cases and you managed to bring over some telepaths,  _that_  would take some explaining and rules for both sides"

"Well for now we have people to put on patrol and on guard"

"Yes but still I can't help but think that...oh no, I know what's wrong, get everyone out of here now!"

"Sentinel what..."

"He's a drone! Master Stalin is a drone meant to counter-act Force inhibitors, these guys must have managed to get their hands on some and managed to counter-act the drugs, I just sensed a disturbance in the Force which I haven't until today"

The evacuation order is quickly given and Ashland uses her  _real_  authorization code to blow the place up because this code could not be heard by the drone and thus could not be discovered by the enemy

"Computer activate self destruct authorization Portland 7 Alpha 2 Omega Omega 9 destroy"

They all escape except the drone and quickly move to a nearby cave system that would work temporarily until they could think of something better

"Sentinel do our punishment's still stand since they were given by an imposter?"

"No they don't, but I still need to punish you for arguing with me up to this point, which I have a feeling you'll stop arguing with me about seeing as how you've just seen first hand just how dangerous it is without the Force inhibitors"

"Yes...unfortunately we now see why we need those blasted things, at least until we get reinforcements and no artifacts that can affect us, but still did you have to kill Master Stalin?"

"Unfortunately Master Stalin was already dead, what we had was just a drone, a dead drone meant only for our destruction"

"And the others, why didn't they try anything with the others?"

"I don't know, for now though once we have a new location I have decided your punishment the three extra hours of training is actually a good idea and I'm keeping that, but instead of extra meditation which really isn't doing much for us right now in the first place instead of taking your Force inhibitors every forty-eight hours you'll be taking them every twenty-four hours for the six days you're on punishment is that understood?"

"But you'll kill us with an overdose like that"

"No we won't, Starfleet and I tested those inhibitors extensively because you never know when you might forget the last time you've taken the inhibitor, when the leader of the planet will require it of you even if it's supposed to last the full forty-eight hours, even your commanding officers might require it of you if you've taken it and you've been transferred and they don't know you've already had your required dose"

"When did you test this then?"

"In my second year of the Academy, and let me tell you several of my fellow cadets thought I was getting special treatment from the teachers either that or something was wrong with me because there were a few times I was called to medical for the tests. The reason why the testing wasn't done in the summer was because it had been finished just as the academy started up again and trust me those Force inhibitors were a life saver once even before these guys showed up"

"How so?"

"Simple, during a training mission I ran across a race that didn't like empaths very much and that wasn't known at the time. I stayed with the rest of my group but due to the fact that I had Force inhibitors I didn't initially get any vibes except for those one would expect of a new cadet, when I had access to the Force again I alerted my teacher to the potential danger we were all in especially me. As it turned out if I hadn't had the Force inhibitors we would have been discovered immediately after I accidentally bumped into one of the members of the delegation, they would have demanded satisfaction of having an empath immediately and it could have resulted in my death or serious injury. We managed to avoid any serious incidents because of that and the race was denied access to the Federation until they could handle their prejudice much better, as for Starfleet and I we discovered yet another benefit to the inhibitors that was unexpected and very much appreciated"

"I heard of that incident, but I had no idea that you were the one involved Sentinel why not?"

"Easy those files were sealed levels above yours Captain and for the simple reason that they could start war if we're not careful, as it is I'm afraid if they've allied themselves against our current enemies"

"If they have no one is safe, especially those that have empathic abilities"

"Which means Troi and the rest of the Betazed's are in danger, as potentially are the Vulcans and Romulans and whatever race is empathic/telepathic that we're not aware of"

"So you truly believe those Jedi originally sent to join the academy are dead"

"Yes, unless they are also regularly taking Force inhibitors, but even then if they were captured they would have been quickly discovered"

"Unless they had a more permanent version on their wrists"

"What do you mean Commander?"

"Well, while you were in a coma Starfleet realized there might be enemies after Jedi so they developed Force inhibitors that looked like bracelets, but couldn't be taken off without a special code that only the Jedi and the one who put it on knows. The Jedi council approved of this by the way but unfortunately you were never given the device by the Republic and we never had one on any of our ships to give to you so that's why none of you have one"

"Can one be built?"

"Yes but we don't have the materials needed to do so"

"Very well we'll keep taking the injections then until those bracelets become available somehow"

"Well I think we have our new base so what's the plan Captain?"

"Easy Commander we continue what we were going to start from our previous location"

"In that case, starting tomorrow I want all Jedi to follow my punishment is that clear?"

"Yes Sentinel"

"Good, I'm going to get in some phaser practice then, lightsaber practice is still banned until we can access the Force, staffs will have to work for that, oh and so is blindfolded practice as well, at least until I am comfortable that you know what you're doing with the weapons"

For the next six days the Jedi obeyed their punishment without question. Once that was done they started fighting back whenever possible

"So when are you going to sector twelve?"

"In three hours, but for now I need to do some meditation"

"But you've already meditated for the day haven't you?"

"Yes but I just feel the need to meditate is all"

Finally they attacked sector twelve and came back safely. This continued for three weeks when one day two officers and one Jedi sent just to see how things were in town came back very excited and with important information considering the fact that they were running

"What's going on Knight?"

"We're going to be getting help, rumor has it that Republic and Federation forces are headed our way"

"Great, do we know who?"

"No we don't, but isn't there only one Starfleet vessel currently available?"

"Yes but they might have managed to get others seeing as how long we've been stuck on this planet"

"Okay you win that point Captain, but for now I think we need to start planning on working with the group that arrives"

"Very well in the meantime have you done your daily meditation yet? I haven't but that's because of just how busy I've been"

"Yes Sentinel I have, hopefully once our allies are here we can actually stop using those blasted Force inhibitors that everyone hates so much"

"Yes, but you know as well as I do that we might have to use them again at some point"

"Yes I do, but even a temporary break from those inhibitors will be great"

Eventually three weeks had passed and they were actually fighting the enemy with the town people's help when suddenly a fellow Jedi took up conversation

"Hey Sentinel I think you should look over the horizon behind you"

"Now's not particularly a good time to talk right now Knight"

She says that while knocking out an enemy with the only weapon she had left, a pole acting like a bo staff

"But Sentinel..."

"Later Knight, oh and behind you"

Suddenly though she hears the sounds of phasers and blasters working together and actually has a brief moment to look behind her to see allies

"Great we have reinforcements, I presume that was what you were trying to tell me Knight?"

"Yes indeed that was"

"Well let's get back to the battle for now and then explain why they can't feel our Force signatures"

They quickly end the battle and then their fellow Jedi ask why their Force signatures weren't there

"We took Force inhibitors mine will dissipate in twelve hours the rest will dissipate in twenty-four hours, it was the only way to survive"

"Understood Sentinel, so what are your orders now regarding the whole thing?"

"We keep doing what we're doing, we free planets and systems whenever possible though I will admit it will not be easy, and there may come a time when we will have to use Force inhibitors again, but this time I am hoping to use the bracelet version where as soon as the bracelet is off we can access the Force again"

"Fine, though I am curious as to why yours will dissipate before theirs by twelve hours"

"It took twelve hours to find and rescue them after we were all separated during our last communication with you guys and had that battle"

"That would do it, now then how out of practice is everyone in regards to the lightsabers?"

"Pretty much since we found each other due to the fact that we've been taking Force inhibitors every forty-eight hours and seeing as how it's been about three weeks since that day we've not practiced for three weeks, though I did insist on weapons training seeing as how we no longer had access to the Force I knew we would need to have other means of fighting"

"Did you have weapons at least a similar weight to an activated lightsaber?"

"Nope, we couldn't though I will admit the bo staff is very close to a lightsaber it's too long, unless one uses a double hilted lightsaber"

They quickly get back to base and once the planet side group is able to access the Force again it is quickly obvious they were a little rusty, but the weapons practice meant they weren't as rusty as they could have been, it was mainly a weight issue they had to deal with

"Oh by the way you guys who have been planet side the entire time can now fight blindfolded"

"But why now? I don't want it to simply be because we have access to the Force again"

"Actually that's exactly why you are allowed to be blindfolded again, I'm sorry if you don't like that but it really was simply too dangerous for you to fight with the blindfolds, three weeks simply isn't enough to truly learn how to fight without the Force, especially without the Force and unable to see at the same time"

"Then how come you do it all the time?"

"Because I can! I can fight without my sight and without the use of the Force because I have been trained to be able to do that, Starfleet made sure of that because you never know what you might come across, I have already mentioned reasons why you might not be able to access the Force, but what I have not explained is that there may also be situations where you are literally blind and if you don't know how to fight in that condition you are at a serious disadvantage especially as a Jedi because we depend on the Force for a lot of things, so once the inhibitors were made once a month I practiced how to fight without access to the Force and without my ability to see. I keep that practice up actually so that my skills are kept honed"

"There's also the fact that since she is part of Starfleet and a Jedi at that, they would have had to put her through multiple situations that combine the two different scenarios so that she would know how to cope if something were to happen in real life. Starfleet doesn't just put you into a situation you might not be able to handle right from graduation, instead while they are teaching you they have tests on a regular basis so that once you are out in the field you have a basic idea of what to do in a similar situation thanks to the training you received at the academy"

"Once during a simulation I was put in with others was so realistic that I almost forgot that it was a test, I had taken the Force inhibitors just hours before and we were now in a simulation that was to test how I reacted to a situation I had no idea was coming or no feelings about due to the fact that I no longer had access to the Force, this was agreed upon by everyone beforehand just so the Jedi know that Starfleet does not force us to take the inhibitors we have to agree to them except in emergency situations or situations that it's called for. As I was saying I had no idea of what was coming thanks to the Force inhibitors and everything seemed fine when suddenly things fell to pieces, I was separated from the rest of the group yet again, and I was fighting when suddenly they sprayed water into my eyes, but the water simulated acid which meant I was now blind. I panicked for several moments until I remembered the training I had been getting for the past several months now and acted on instinct, I used audible clues to figure out where my opponents were and then I communicated to the rest of my group that I was blind and needed to be picked up seeing as how we had lost comms with the 'ship'  _but_  we still had comms with each other so that was a huge help. The 'battle' quickly ended and I was reunited with the rest of the away team, once the simulation was over with the teachers told me in private that they were impressed at how quickly I adapted to being blind and that they were thinking that if there were ever any other Jedi that joined that they should be put through the same training I was undergoing just in case"

"But it wasn't just her that gained valuable experience that day, you see I was an observer that day and we found out that others who were blinded struggled to cope with the loss of sight and couldn't fight as effectively as they would have if they were able to see, we knew that without the Force Portland was truly blind, but we also tested her in private whenever she did have access to the Force to see just how quickly she adapted to the loss of sight and we were amazed at the results. We quickly realized that everyone needed to be taught how to fight without sight so that if something happened in real life they would be able to cope and so we implemented those changes as quickly as possible, all without revealing the fact that Portland was different from the rest of the academy"

"I didn't know that, though I had noticed we were tested a lot more frequently on how we use our senses for the next six months, but since I was hiding at the time I couldn't reveal my use of the Force as a sense so I was partially lying...at least when it came to verbally explaining things, fortunately I could always write down how I used the Force whenever we had written reports but still I hated not being able to truly be myself"

"Yes your written reports were very interesting considering none of us has access to the Force so you had to do your best to explain it, very badly I might add and we also had to use generalities to extrapolate what you were saying"

"Not my fault, I have done my best and I'm sure my fellow Jedi who had joined were doing so as well but you have to be a Jedi to truly understand the Force and even then I don't think every mystery can be explained without years of simply studying and being one with the Force"

"Yes well, you shocked your instructors once during one of your private simulations seeing as how you couldn't act like a Jedi except during those times"

"Ah yes, the sudden drop into a chasm after being chased by enemies, it is what it is"


	17. Chapter 17

_Third year in the Academy_

"This is not a good thing, let's see, separated and no commbadge so where can I go until I can link up with others again"

She keeps running while dodging several different people firing weapons at her and then she is forced to stop due to a chasm which while technically not too large for her to Force jump across was still pretty far and she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to jump high enough either. She looked back and saw them coming closer, looks back at her option and does the only sensible thing in her mind

"Oh for...very well, see ya never creeps"

She simply backwards somersaults into the chasm disappearing from everyone's view and landing safely several feet to the ground. After that the simulation ends and an instructor comes to ask her a valid question

"Okay just what did you do at the end?"

"I Force jumped into safety with a backwards somersault"

"But just how did you do that?"

"It's hard to explain just how the Force works but it's kind of like an instinct where you just know what to do, I figured it would be safer to just jump into the chasm than to try and Force jump across it even though I knew I would probably make it better safe than sorry, Jedi can jump further distances and fall further as well due to the Force. I can't fully explain it and I know I'm not explaining things very well but things are what they are in regards to Jedi, now then is there anything about my newest private assessment we need to talk about?"

"Not for now but you know that can change at a moments notice"

_Present_

"We learned to be very careful around you after that, though I still want to know just how you managed to pass that one test without the use of the Force"

"That's not exactly explainable Captain, but to be honest I think not having access to the Force on a regular basis honed what regular humans call a sixth sense, I can get very uneasy even without access to the Force though I should warn everyone that it is hit and miss on occasion"

"I think that forcing you to have inhibitors actually makes you more aware of your surroundings Portland because since you can't access the Force for any information or to help with your emotions any bad vibe you get is increased by ten fold at the very least"

"I think it's twenty fold whenever she  _does_  have access to the Force"

"What makes you say that Picard?"

"Easy, I have seen the differences between when she had access to the Force and when she didn't, the rest of the Jedi acted different when they had Force inhibitors forced on them but they didn't give us warnings whenever they were taking the inhibitors while Sentinel Portland here gave warnings both when she did and didn't have access to the Force. Once before they were forced to take inhibitors, shortly before we made it to town she alerted me to potential danger in the wildlife which actually saved our lives because that forced us to be together. Once we were in town she gave warning of occasional danger at least an hour before trouble actually hit, then when she was taking the inhibitors she warned us at least thirty minute, though once it was half a day"

"That day something just felt off though I wasn't quite sure what, turned out the enemy was planning a major assault on a town that was helping us for later that day. We weren't planning on going into town that day but because we did we actually saved several lives that would have died otherwise, my fellow Jedi didn't do that at all while taking the inhibitors"

"Well we're going to have to borrow these people's ships so that you can get back into the action but I also think some of us will stay here for now while they reestablish a defense"

"The Admiral is right, we need to continue freeing the Federation, by the way have you received any recent news on our refugees stuck in the Republic?"

"They're doing fine last I heard"

"Great"

"The only question now is who stays and who goes?"

"Well I for one think that those of the  _Enterprise_ and the _Mississippi_ should be some of the ones helping free the rest of the Federation, but to be honest it will probably take years before the Federation is truly free, just like the Dominion war took years to fight"

"True, but there's also the fact that quite frankly as Jedi are fighting we might win faster than the Dominion war because we can sense things that normal humans can't, heck we can sense things that telepaths can't sense which gives us the advantage and will help in the long run in finding camps that the enemy has set up and also places where there is lots of fighting"

"And where there's fighting there's a resistance which we can use to our advantage"

"Exactly Commander, but we still need to figure out who's going, who's staying, and which ships the two crews are going to take to get back into the fight seeing as how we destroyed our ships"

They eventually settle everything out in regards to who goes where for the Jedi and who also is staying to protect the planet for a little while

"So everything is settled and everyone is ready to go right?"

"Hm yes but first..."

Suddenly Ashland whips around with her lightsaber and goes through the stomach of one of the officers that helped rescue them and then cut off their head revealing that it was a robot the whole time

"...I think we should get rid of this spy, our plans need to change otherwise the enemy will defeat us easier than before"

"How did you know he wasn't real?"

"Something just seemed off whenever I talked to him and then when I touched him just now in regards to asking him a question I didn't sense anything from him, no life, no Force signature, nothing, that meant it had to be a robot, I don't get anything from Lt. Commander Data but that's to be expected, but to not get something from the officer I just 'killed' is not normal so that meant something was wrong"

"Good catch, so let's start changing plans unless there are any more spies?"

"No there are no more spies from what I can tell"

"Then let's remake some plans"

They quickly make some adjustments and then they start freeing the rest of the galaxy. It would turn out that thanks to the Jedi the war would only last for eight months due to them knowing exactly when and where to hit the enemy. It would also help that resistance groups had quickly formed when the whole thing first started including on Earth where the Jedi that had gone to Earth for Starfleet training were part of the resistance there. They had quickly put on the wrist bracelets that acted like Force inhibitors so that they wouldn't be discovered that easily when confronted by the enemy, once that was done they along with several other cadets and teachers went literally underground while the rest stayed top side so as to gather vital information for the hidden resistance. They would occasionally lose people to death and other times to camps but they always worked from the shadows with others who wanted to fight back. On other planets they did what they could to blend in and stick to the shadows as a means to either free or keep free their planets, though it was very interesting in regards to Romulus and Vulcan because of the fact that they were essentially the same race. Those two worked together on the two planets to keep both free and the enemy never figured out how they were beaten so easily. While all of that was going on there were occasions where the rest of the Jedi needed to put on the bracelets as well, but also times where there access to the Force was crucial to their survival and the survival of the rest of the team as well it just varied on the situation whether or not the inhibitors were needed. But finally the Federation was free and the refugees that hid in the Republic just in case could come home, Ashland and Delgado were part of the team that brought them home and then Ashland asked a very important question to Picard seeing as how they were on his ship


	18. Chapter 18

"Captain I was wondering what will happen to Ensign Delgado and I seeing as how the  _Texas_  is gone"

"Lt. Junior Grade Delgado is being stationed on  _Voyager_  for his actions in the line of duty while you have been assigned to me here on the  _Enterprise_ , there was a huge debate on whether or not we should split the two of you up all things considered but eventually it was decided that the time for Delgado to spread his wings and take what he's learned from you into practice is now, and for you it was decided that you needed to really start spreading your own wings as well"

"But sir, wouldn't that mean being transferred to another ship seeing as how I have essentially served under you since you picked us up after the war started?"

"Normally yes, however I need you here so that some Jedi are able to cope with their surroundings"

"Training session?"

"Exactly, considering they also fought for freedom they're going to be very jumpy and having another Jedi will help in the long run I believe, though we can't do that for everyone we've done our best to make sure those that are the worst off are put with you"

"Thank you Captain Picard, once that's over I will be assigned some where's else then?"

"Yes, I already have your orders waiting for you once you complete this temporary assignment"

"Does my real captain know about this?"

"Yes, and they are actually glad because they're going to be a bit busy as well in another area and could use some prep time in regards to getting things ready for a Jedi to come aboard"

"Bacta tank giving them issues?"

"Among other things yes"

"Then I will obey orders and buy my new crewmates whatever time I can in allowing them to prepare for my tour of duty with them"

She would stay with the  _Enterprise_ for three months, one month longer than originally planned but due to an emergency situation during the training session it was understandable

"And all Starfleet Captains are learning to adjust to Jedi coming on board their ships?"

"Yes, there will never truly be enough Jedi to serve on all the ships and stations, yet we are but the first wave of Jedi to join, there will be others over the years. Some will come in groups while others will come individually, and there will yet be years where there are no new recruits or even Jedi in Starfleet but they will always be ready to train them because I have given them the mandate and shown them the way to train Jedi after having never trained one before"

"Wait you can't give Admirals an order"

"Oh if it's a Jedi matter we can, I told them to make sure they were always ready to train Jedi in the future after one of my meditation sessions during the three month mandated meditation meetings"

"But that is just one path the future can go"

"Yes but it is better for them to be ready for the possibility of periods of time where there are no Jedi and then suddenly there are Jedi again then for them to suddenly have no Jedi and think that none are joining again only to suddenly have Jedi asking once more to join Starfleet. It helps that Jedi and Starfleet can work together at times without the Jedi actually joining Starfleet and that the alliance will continue to flourish for what I hope is years to come"

"Well it's almost time for us to rejoin the academy, we've been gone three months now"

"Yes but Captain Picard already informed the academy of the reason behind your delay in returning on time and they are ready to begin teaching you guys again"

"See you again sometime I hope"

"Same here, same here"

Finally she went to the Captain's ready room for her new orders

"The  _Yoshimaru_? I've never heard of that ship before"

"It's a newer ship I'll admit, but she's as every bit a good ship as the  _Enterprise_  the ship's Captain is a good Captain too which helps"

"When will I join her then?"

"In two days, we have a rendezvous with them because they have some supplies we need to get from them and we have a crew member they need to get"

"Very well, until then I will execute my duties on the  _Enterprise_  faithfully"

"I know you will"

Two mundane days later Ashland officially transferred over to the  _Yoshimaru_  where she is met by her new Commander

"Welcome to the  _Yoshimaru_  Lt. I am Commander Torres and will lead you on a brief tour through the ship for later"

"Commander, I appreciate the tour but could you please call me by my correct designation of Sentinel? I would have thought you knew that about me"

"Sorry Sentinel I have been reading so many different reports I might have read one about you and totally forgot about it"

"Understood Commander, you were saying something about a quick tour?"

"Yes but first I am going to take you to your new quarters, oh and the main reason behind the tour is because while the  _Yoshimaru_  is the same class as the  _Texas_  was, there are some slight design differences that you need to be made aware of"

"Understood sir, when am I going to meet the Captain by the way to make my transfer official?"

"Not until later I'm afraid, unfortunately for you and us, this transfer came at a bad time for us"

"Sorry sir I would have been here sooner except..."

"Except that there was an emergency situation, we know and understand Sentinel it was explained to us by Commander Riker when he realized your assignment with the  _Enterprise_  would last longer than the projected two months, oh quick question just how good at diplomacy are you?"

"I'm decent enough why?"

"We're actually in the middle of peace talks between two planets, we're the mediators and unfortunately things are not going exactly as planned, we figure a Jedi might help keep things calmer than what they have been lately"

"I won't overtly use my abilities without their permission"

"True, but I'm pretty sure that you can send waves of calm emotion to everyone whenever tempers start to flare, because one of the mediators is a Vulcan and they are trained not to show emotion but this one most certainly is"

"A disease?"

"Not from what we can tell, besides no one else is affected by it so we think that it must be getting  _really_  stressful for the Vulcan to show emotion"

"Either that or it's one of the two groups, because from what I recall aliens can affect other peoples emotions if done right"

"True enough, plus we also know it's not a chemical imbalance that could potentially kill them Starfleet made sure of that before sending the ambassadors"

"Then I will most certainly do my duty of keeping everyone as calm as possible through the Force"

They go through a brief tour ending at Ashland's quarters

"Oh and I have one final bit of business with you, did you by any chance remember to bring the Force inhibitor bracelet with you?"

"Yes I have it with my belongings, you know when I first developed these inhibitors I never dreamed Starfleet would come up with one that works as a bracelet"

"That took a lot of research I might add but that is a good thing all things considered"

"I know and I'm very grateful because that means we won't be forced into having painful inhibitors on us and we also won't have to constantly remember when our last injection was"

"Did you know they are working on a new prototype where you can still access the Force to a degree but still be protected from enemy inhibitors?"

"No but to be honest that probably will never work or if it does it will be many years from now by which time I will either be retired or near retired and it won't matter to me either way"

"That may be true, well seeing as you brought it I presume you know the policy in regards to the bracelet like you did the hypos?"

"Keep it on me at all times in a convenient place for immediate use when either ordered or when I sense there might be a need I know,  _that_ policy was developed by me actually during the war, brief though it was once the Republic joined in"

"Didn't know that, well you've had the basic tour and you are to be stationed on the bridge third shift for now, we might change that as we adjust to your abilities better"

"Understood sir"

"Oh, and you're actually going to be on call for all but the most mundane away missions as well, but for now I think it best you get some sleep if you're going to be involved in diplomacy tomorrow"

The next day Ashland and the rest sat in the debate room for three hours before the main mediator started to show visible signs of emotion and exhaustion so Ashland even though she was a low ranking officer and junior to everyone else on board the ship spoke up

"Maybe it's time for everyone to stretch their legs or talk to their own people about how they might wish to proceed in a peaceful manner, from what I understand this debate has lasted three days already, what's another hour?, besides I don't know about you but if I don't walk around soon my legs are going to go really numb and I might not be able to do anything for the next several hours, nor will anyone else soon enough"

While she was talking she send waves of calm through the Force to everyone, she didn't even attempt to use a mild Force suggestion because she was unsure just how anyone might take it. Unfortunately for her one of the two groups was one of the more stubborn people she had ever met


	19. Chapter 19

"No! I say we continue now, we do not need a break, it's only been a few hours since we started"

"Not all races are like you, depending on the race you are people get mentally fatigued at different points, and there are two other humans besides me who have been listening to essentially the same thing for at  _least_  the last hour. I for one would think you want your mediators fresh so that everyone gets a fair deal, besides don't you have a custom of having at least a snack right about now, I thought I read some where's that..."

Suddenly Ashland stopped talking and grabbed her head in pain, though it was only for a brief moment and then she was looking straight at everyone again with a firm look in her eyes

"As I was saying I thought I read some where's that your people need to eat more frequently due to your races metabolism, not to mention that some of our foods don't do anything for you in regards to the nutrition you need"

"I think you read correctly Sentinel, however what just happened before you finished your sentence?"

"Nothing Lt. I just stood up too quickly and got a brief headache, after all it's not like I'm a Betazoid or some other telepathic race I'm only human"

"If you're sure, you sure you don't need anything?"

"No I'm good"

What no one in the room realized was that Ashland and the other Starfleet officers in the room were talking in a prearranged code given to the ship a month before she arrived, per her temporary Captain's instructions what they were really saying was this

"I felt a brief disturbance in the Force, it could be nothing but if you could have someone check I would be grateful"

"Do you need anything for the headache right now?"

"No it's not that kind of headache"

But of course since only those who served on the ship would have recognized the code and also since no one suspected they were even talking in code no one realized the by play that the officers played out

"Maybe the...Sentinel I believe she is called, is right, maybe we should take a break to stretch our legs and for you to get some sustenance"

"Very well how long will the break be?"

"No more than fifteen minutes"

Fifteen minutes later everyone is back and obviously in better shape to deal with a long standing debate, no one the wiser that two of the officers made discreet inquires about the ship and also made requests in regards to the rest of space which when questioned only got the one word reply of either Jedi or two word reply of Sentinel Portland which was enough for the rest of the crew to understand why such a request was being made. The debate lasted the rest of the day with a one hour lunch and two hour dinner break which gave Ashland some meditation time which she so desperately needed, but she also realized the debate would go on longer than she realized due to just how complex the whole situation was

"You're doing fine so far Sentinel and you haven't even spent one day on the bridge"

"Speaking of, have you heard anything back from the Captain or Commander?"

"Yes actually, turns out we were being tracked by what we think was a cloaked enemy spy, but we can't confirm that so we don't know for sure, but the Romulans are going to check out a few things for us seeing as how we can't do it ourselves. By the way have you had your official welcome to the ship yet? I haven't heard"

"Yes I met the Captain an hour before the debate started, he said to focus my energies on the debate and that my duties to the ship will come afterwords"

"Has anyone questioned why you are called Sentinel Portland instead of your rank?"

"A few have but luckily I've managed to dodge those questions for now, others are helping in that matter saying that it's a Starfleet matter that most likely won't ever concern them and if it does they will be informed of the reason then"

"Which is actually true, no one really needs to know why you are called a Sentinel except Starfleet and her new allies who have so far proven to be great allies in my mind"

"Exactly, now then I have exactly five minutes to get to the conference room so I'll be going now"

"See you for lunch...maybe"

"We'll see, hopefully though things will settle soon emphasis on hopefully" (sighs) "I hate argumentative people who don't stop even when they've lost"

The Lt. was left to wonder if the debate was stressing Ashland out already and it hadn't even been two full days since she had boarded the ship not realizing part of the problem was her interrupted meditation periods...the required by Starfleet meditation periods, that had been happening for a few days before she had transferred so her emotions were a little frayed. But she kept on going, for the next three days she handled the meetings pretty well for a Jedi who was getting in no real meditation time despite the crew doing their bests, finally though the delegates left and she was asked bluntly by the Commander right after the reception about her meditation

"Okay Sentinel you have one chance to be truthful with me, have you been doing your daily meditations per Starfleet ordered?"

"Well, yes and no Commander, I have been doing meditation but it's only an hour at best because of everything we needed to do for the conference, not to mention other minuet things that built up, and the debates took up a lot of my meditation periods too"

"Okay, then you're off duty tomorrow and have free access to the holodeck for some good meditation time in whatever setting you might find works best. I don't think you ever want a repeat of when you first came here do you?"

"No sir, and honestly I'm not surprised you heard about that considering it was probably a requirement before any Jedi deploys that their Commanding officers know what happens when a Jedi doesn't get proper meditation"

"Exactly, now then to bed you look exhausted"

"Understood sir, I will of course be on my duty shift when it is time, though if I go to sickbay due to not sleeping consider that plan forgotten and don't worry I'll make sure the doctor let's the proper people know that I've been sedated, seeing as how that might very well be my only means of sleeping"

"Have you been having trouble sleeping along with meditation issues?"

"Sort of, though it hasn't affected me much as far as I can tell, but since I know my body I know that if I don't get decent rest soon I will have no other choice but to go to the medics for sleep aid"

"We know what can happen to a foul tempered Jedi due to those simulations so make sure it doesn't ever get that bad understand?"

"Completely Commander, now I am going to do exactly as you ordered and am going to get some much needed sleep"

Fortunately after a few days Ashland had finally managed to find balance again and didn't need to be sedated, though she did occasionally wonder at why she was having such weird dreams. The Captain quickly learned to trust her when it came to away missions and also when it came to diplomacy with either an ally or a potential new ally, or planet that wanted to be part of the Federation, in fact in one such incident it was a good thing she was a Jedi because she actually saved several lives that day in just one sentence and action

"Everyone get away from the podium!"

She quickly Force pushed as many people as possible away from the podium just before it exploded

"Sentinel care to explain yourself?"

"Sorry Captain, didn't think you would be fast enough to get all the important people away in time, it was instinct, but hey at least it worked, now then I think we have some issues to deal with now"

"Including what you might have felt right before you did what you did"

"Darkness Captain, I sensed darkness, we're lucky I managed to pinpoint it to the podium as quickly as I did though, a few seconds more and..."

"You have a valid point Sentinel, in fact that's why I want you to stay here a few days as the chief security officer for everyone that's in charge of this planet and our own people"

"Fine, but I want two Betazoid's with me then"

"Fine by me, you scare me sometimes with your instincts"

"I don't mean to it just happens because of who and what I am"

"I know but still I wish they didn't happen quite so...forcefully at times"

"Which would you prefer Captain a dead delegate and Commander or a severely bruised but alive delegate and Commander?"

"The latter but I don't think they're entirely pleased with you right now"

"I know that but really there's not much more I could have done as it is..." (she briefly looks around and then leans in and speaks in a softer voice) "...the darkness I felt is still here, but it's dissipated a bit, I don't know if it's because the perpetrators have left the immediate vicinity or if it's because they've backed off for now either way there might still be danger"

(Just as quietly) "I understand" (out loud) "I want you to report in at least once a day is that understood Sentinel Portland?"

"Yes sir it's understood"

"Good then I'm leaving you planetside to make arrangements for your stay"

"I understand, and sir, be careful up there the issues we've had on the ship are just as dangerous as what happened today"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing, I'm the Captain after all"

"I know, I guess I just worry about everyone considering what I've been through since shortly after I reunited with the Republic almost three years ago now"

"Exactly, but for now I think you can relax except for whenever there's possible trouble, and I want you to get some sleep and not that restful meditation you told us about"

"Yes sir, I won't do that again sir"

"You'd better not or I'm reporting you to both Starfleet command  _and_  the Jedi council that you disobeyed their direct orders regarding that type of meditation"

"Just because it's only a temporary fix doesn't mean it has to be banned permanently"

"It's because you over did it Sentinel, now then I'm off"

The Captain leaves and for the next few days Ashland was actually pretty busy trying to keep up with the attempts to topple the rightful government and also the attempts on the lives of the Starfleet officers


	20. Chapter 20

"Sentinel, I think there's been another threat made"

"Perfect just what I need right now" (sighs) "I don't want to know the specifics do I?"

"Nope, but you need to know so here's the message, just arrived by the way"

"Has the ship said anything yet in regards to just how long we've been down here?"

"No, but the Captain is asking for more frequent updates, he now wants them twice a day instead of once a day, something about needing current information if he's going to act on it in time"

"Fine can you pass on a request to our security chief that I want Doland, Katsu, and Michi off this planet? They're good officers but it's for everyone's safety that they are permanently removed from this security assignment"

"Very well, but they won't leave until you get replacements you know that right?"

"I know which is why I am asking you to request that. I don't know the current situation on the ship which is why I haven't made that request myself"

"Well you should get the replacements within the hour, if we're lucky"

"Got it, I'll wait until then to send those three up, and don't worry they already know that they are being sent back to the ship and even why, but the reasons behind that will have to be in their reports I'm too busy right now to write my reasons down right now and they know it"

"By the way the doctor is wondering if you're keeping up with your meditations"

"Yes, it's even easier this time because of the fact that everyone has two hours before evening meal to reflect on the days activities, no business is conducted at that time except what counts as emergency services here, I meditate during those hours so that I can keep a very delicate balance in my life"

"Just remember that if you start to lose balance again you have orders to let us know so that you can regain your balance"

"I know and I completely agree with that policy"

"But what I want to know is exactly why everyone let it get as bad as it had"

"Easy, for my part I initially didn't realize what was happening and by the time I did it was beyond what I thought was the point of salvaging, for the teachers and those in charge they had no idea just how important meditation was because I had yet to explain that to them in my debriefs. The day of the simulation simply brought everything to a head where there was no other choice but to talk about meditation because of the mental breakdown I had been working on since about the second month in the Academy"

"Basically what happened to you needed to happen so that they fully understood the importance behind Jedi meditation?"

"I guess, though we'll never know since things happened the way they did"

"Well I will send in your request, it should be answered within the next few hours but if not it should be answered by late tomorrow at the latest"

"Understood"

The next day she got her replacements and things actually calmed down after that, eventually getting to the point where Starfleet presence was no longer required on the planet and the  _Yoshimaru_ was allowed to go on other missions. Most of those missions went well though there were times when things went wrong but everyone managed to compensate for the problems, but at night there was a different story in Portland's quarters because several months after the incident she started to have visions while she was meditating, visions that she didn't fully understand until a new mission popped up three weeks after the visions started. In the conference room

"As you know this is only a peace mission to see if they are ready to join the Federation but I will warn you that their history is strife with civil war, they believe that since they haven't had any battles for over a hundred years since they first started trying to reach for the skies they are ready. I also understand that they have been having issues with food lately and that they are trading with other worlds to provide for their people and also have opened up with everyone both in the Federation and their own people behind some of the reasons behind their periods of civil war which is very helpful is proving that they want peace and are ready for the Federation. Portland I want you to use your usual routine to get a feel on these people"

"Sorry Captain, I have a feeling it will be better that I use the Force inhibitor bracelet so that is out the window for now"

"Any reason?"

"Just feelings mostly, some meditation issues have popped up that have interrupted a good nights sleep but it's under control, if not I would have reported to the doctor I promise. I also think that there should be no telepathic races I don't know why but I just get that feeling, it could be nothing but it could be vital to everyone's safety"

"Very well, now then Lt. Collins I need you to..."

Eventually the debrief finished and Ashland put on the Force inhibitor before she left the bridge, and went back to her quarters for a few moments because they still had half an hour before they reached the planet. Finally they reached the planet and the away team assembled in the transporter room and went down for what would be a very long three days, because from the beginning there were issues that plagued the mission. Most issues were minor and easily solved but there was one issue that wasn't going to be solved so easily

"Why didn't you tell us that there were people fighting entry into the Federation before we arrived?"

"Because we didn't think they were that dangerous or would do anything with Starfleet presence, as it is you're lucky you don't have anyone telepathic or empathic on the planet because they would be the main target instead of anyone in uniform"

"If you're going to have a conference explaining things then we're going to need more security"

"Fine, but we'll be the main providers is that understood?"

"Fine, maybe this conference will stop the rebels and you will indeed be recommended for entry into the Federation but I am making no promises"

"I know and understand"

Sadly the conference did the exact opposite of what they had hoped and once again Portland was declared killed in action. An Ensign was heading to the area of battle that Ashland was in when he heard an explosion and went as fast as he could but all he found was a crater where her weapon lied, he grabbed the weapon determined not to leave it behind

"Goodbye Sentinel Portland, your sacrifice will not be in vain"

The Ensign quickly reports back to his superior officer

"Where's Sentinel Portland?"

"Dead"

He shows his superior the lightsaber as he said that

"I understand, get this back to the ship and report directly to the Captain"

"Yes sir"

The Ensign does as ordered and is quickly dismissed after reporting Ashland's death. The Captain accesses Portland's file and after some hesitation declares her deceased and that's when he got a notice that he had an urgent messaged tied into Ashland's file and he quickly accesses the message

"Captain, if you are hearing this message than that means you have declared me dead, that's actually to be expected which is why I have this message in the first place. I'm sorry for not telling you during the debrief but for the past few weeks I have been making separate personal logs in regards to the visions I have been having these past three weeks during meditation and those logs are also linked to this message. I know that what you will hear will disturb you especially considering the agreement that I made with Starfleet from the beginning but I felt that it was best to keep it hidden in case things became worse if revealed. I also have another confession to make, there might be a slight possibility that I am not dead like you have been told but am actually alive just in hiding. If that is the case then I  _will_  find a way to let you know but only you can know the truth for Starfleet's side of things, I might not be able to reach the Jedi Council so if I am alive let them know I have made contact, they will explain things further when you do. If I have died like you have been told yet you can't find a body make demands until you do find my body and then report that to the Council, they will need to know either way though if I am dead you will not find out why you needed to contact them. Captain one more thing, what I am going to reveal in these logs is only a possibility and as such is to be deemed classified to a certain clearance level, Sentinel Portland signing off"

The Captain leans back in his chair and silently prays that Portland was alive and would make contact soon, in the meantime he had a planet to deal with so as to get a search for her body just in case someone killed her and then moved the body. He also starts listening to the logs and quickly realizes why she wanted them classified because the possible future that she was seeing in meditation was dangerous to reveal because they could bring it by doing something opposite from what would be needed to prevent that future, though the explosion did actually happen there was a small possibility she was alive and that helped mute the pain of her possible loss

"I wish she could have felt that she could tell me as per the agreement she had from the start with Starfleet command but I understand why she didn't"

A few days later the search for Ashland's body wasn't going too well but at the same time most of the people opposed to joining the Federation realized that joining the Federation would actually be beneficial for their people and finally agreed to it

"At least some good has come out of all the bad"

"Yes, have the people found any sign of Portland yet?"

"No, and they're wondering about our telepathic and empathic races because it was only the dissidents that had issues with those races"

"They will be allowed on the planet but always paired up with another that doesn't have any mental abilities and at the first sign of trouble regarding that they are to return to the ship immediately"

"Completely understandable and understood"

Suddenly another officer spoke up

"Sir an unknown person is hailing the ship and for some reason I can't trace the signal"

"In my ready room"

He goes to the ready room and is very pleased at the face that he sees on the screen

"Portland I was beginning to wonder if you were alive or not"

"Sorry Captain, I've been a bit busy down here doing my best to make sure that I am not discovered before I even begin my mission"

"What mission?"

"That will take too long to explain right now but just know I am on a sanctioned mission, which was given to me after the log where I mentioned talking to the Jedi Council about my visions, tell Starfleet Command about it and also inform the Jedi Council I am alive and ready to start the mission at my discretion per their instructions"

"Understood Sentinel, and good luck"

"Thank you and I will do my best to report to you on occasion that I'm still alive"

"Very well, if I don't hear from you within three months you are dead to us understood?"

"Yes sir"

The Captain quickly contacts Starfleet command about Ashland being alive but on a top secret mission for the Jedi Council, and that if she doesn't make contact within three months she's dead which ended the conversation quite nicely since part of the alliance was that Starfleet didn't interfere with Jedi missions and Jedi didn't interfere with Starfleet missions, the only exception in either case was if the two missions intersected and then it would be up to the Jedi to decide which mission took priority. Once the conversation with Starfleet ended the Captain contacted the Jedi Council about Portland and was given the basic gist of the mission she was currently on

"I see and you couldn't tell us because of what reason?"

"Simple, while the future may always be in motion we had a feeling it was best to leave Starfleet out of this one just in case there was trouble that you needed to focus on, though we honestly didn't think she would fake her death"

"It is what it is Master Skywalker, I'm just glad she's alive though I am not happy about the fact that I might have to consider her dead in three months if there is no contact but it is what it is. I will keep all of this to myself but I have to keep the search teams going for another two days then we have to abandon the search for her body"

"Got it, what about Starfleet Command?"

"They understand she's on a classified Jedi mission they won't do anything unless the situation warrants their interference"

"I understand, hopefully she will be able to finish the mission early however be prepared for her to be considered dead for months if not years, and I think you might want to keep an eye on your new member considering all the trouble you've had"

"Oh they aren't officially members yet they're just recommended for membership, it might be that their membership will be delayed until we can be positive that they meet all the qualifications and there are no more rifts in regards to joining the Federation"

"A wise policy, we'll be in contact if something comes up on our end as always"

"Of course, oh and tell our representatives that they are about to be replaced with some fresh volunteers it's been decided that our representatives will only serve three to five years depending on their family status and both of them are married"

"Will do, we'll tell them today since they are meeting with us about some things they feel are important to the Federation"

"Okay I will contact you if asked for by the Federation or if the mission ends and Ashland pops up again in our lives"

Communications are cut and the  _Yoshimaru_  leaves the area going to their next mission, which in light of their loss was easier than what had been originally planned, instead of dealing with warring factions they were going to help another of their planets with a medical emergency that had been confirmed by the leaders of the planet. Meanwhile Ashland stayed on the planet where she had been "killed" and slowly started gathering intelligence from the shadows on how the planet was adjusting and also if any were Force sensitive, while doing this she had actually been discovered by an official who almost broke her cover if not for the fact that she quickly dragged them into the shadows with a hand over their mouth

"Easy, I don't need you revealing me right now, due to the fact that I am on a top secret mission I need you to promise that you won't tell anyone of my survival until I say so"

"But when will you know when the time is right?"

"Don't worry I will know but for now do I have your word you won't reveal me?"

"Yes you have my word I won't say a word about your survival to anyone without your permission"

"Very well I will show you the way out of this area however I will have to blindfold you so that you don't accidentally reveal my location, oh and if people start suddenly disappearing don't worry most likely there are death threats on them and I have whisked them away to safety"

"Fine, if that happens do I have leave to at least reveal that someone is working in the shadows to keep people safe?"

"No you do not, now then get ready to be blindfolded"

Several weeks later the official hadn't heard anything more about Portland and honestly didn't think anything about it until people suddenly started disappearing just like she had said, and what's more it was discovered that there were indeed death threats against them due to people still not sure about the Federation and the fact that there were telepathic and empathic races involved. The main reason behind that fear was that they thought that their thoughts would be read unwillingly and there would be no more privacy whenever those races were around, even if it was only through touch, those that disappeared were people who were doing there best to explain how things worked with those races and they weren't being listened to very easily. In an unknown location


	21. Chapter 21

"So how are things in the capital?"

"Fine so far, the few officials that have disappeared are safe and those that haven't are being watched closely just in case they will need to disappear"

"Okay, by the way if things continue the way they are we might have to reveal ourselves leader including you and even we don't know your true identity"

"I know, and I am ready for it but hopefully it won't have to happen until things have settled and everyone can return to their lives but if need be I will reveal myself sooner"

"Why have you hidden yourself away anyways?"

"I can't explain that right now, but do know that I have my reasons, by the way I thought I heard rumors of rallies happening this week what's all that about?"

"Oh it's not so much rallies as it is an annual celebration on the latest peace treaty that ended the last civil war, but from what I hear this year will be extra special"

"What for?"

"Don't know that's only known by the highest officials, oh and just so you know it appears that more people have been talking about their fears in regards to telepathic and empathic races and are starting to realize that while they may inadvertently use their abilities at times they do their best not to so as to allow people their privacy, and also when they do use their abilities it is always with the permission of those they are doing it to"

"Except in Starfleet where they are asked to do so by their commanding officers but even that is being accepted because orders are orders"

Unfortunately what was supposed to be a good day turned out to be a day of sorrow at the announcement that within the next six months the planet would officially be part of the Federation due to a bombing that killed several Federation delegates and their own leaders

"We take down the people doing this  _now_  I don't care how long it takes us they are going down, we are no longer passive observers we are now an active resistance against those who would disturb our peace and we will stop them with the help of the planets government"

"But how, most of us don't know how to fight and the few that do know won't be enough to be effective against these people"

"Oh don't worry we have our ways"

"By the way, when are you going to take off your bracelet, you don't seem to need it and no one else on this planet has one"

"Oh I actually do need it as do a few others on this planet but they can't right now, and unfortunately I can't do anything for them until they themselves reveal they need our help, for now we are simply observers in those situations however I think everyone will have to know at least basic fighting skills if we are to stop these terrorists"

"Is that how you're going to supplement the few fighters we  _do_  have?"

"Exactly though I do have a request, I need to learn your weapons seeing as how I have not had the chance until now"

"Fine by us, but we will warn you that using the weapons will be difficult"

"I understand don't worry, now then I also have a request that will seem odd but in time will actually make sense, I need someone to find a scrap piece of cloth for me"

"What for?"

"I will tell you at a later date, but I do want it to be as clean as possible"

"Don't worry it will be, and besides if it gets soiled we have a means of cleaning our clothes anyways"

"Good point"

They soon start the self defense and weapons training while at the same time doing whatever they could to interrupt the terrorists. Two months after they started fighting back they learned what the piece of cloth was intended for because it was declared that Ashland was now a competent fighter with said weapons and could use them in the fights that they were now getting into

"Actually I need to make sure I am as good as you say I am with the weapon, so where's the piece of cloth I asked for months ago?"

"Right here"

She is handed the piece of cloth and shocks everyone when she covers her eyes with it

"Now then if I can't fight as well with my eyes open with this blindfold on I am not competent enough to use this weapon in the field"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you never know what can happen, if the terrorists use dirty tricks they could blind any one of us and that means we may be forced to fight blind, I want to make sure I can do that with this weapon before I use it on the battlefield"

She passes her self made test and is quickly shown to be very effective in battle with said weapon which shocked many of the terrorists because they weren't expecting an obvious stranger to be so good. When she saved several people at once who were all officials she was thanked at the end of battle

"Thank you for saving us, but who are you?"

"Sorry but I can't reveal myself right now, just know that I am an ally, one who has been around long enough to know the changes that have been happening on this planet lately"

"Will you ever reveal yourself?"

"When the time is right I will reveal myself, but for now it is still too dangerous"

"I understand good luck, and we are supporting you even if it may not seem like it"

"I know you are, don't worry we should be able to fight more openly soon, soon I think everything will end and we can stop the fighting that everyone hates so much"

Just as they were about to leave though there was another attack and this time the attackers used acid, which got into Ashland's eyes blinding her, but she quickly adapted and started fighting like she had been blind her whole life forcing the enemy to retreat

"That's what you get for underestimating me creeps!"

"Leader you're blind"

"Don't worry I will adapt easily enough, beside if I recall correctly we have equipment to restore my eyesight since it was taken from me by acid"

"If you're sure"

"I'm positive"

"Leader is what happened today why you insisted on making sure you could fight with our weapons even blindfolded?"

"Exactly I knew the risks of being blinded and I knew it was best that I could fight blind then suddenly lose my eyesight and be unable to fight"

"Well we have your eyesight to take care of and honestly I think it best we go back to base so that everyone can calm down from today's events"

"Yes but I also think we're going to have to accelerate our plans to stop the terrorists once and for all"

"That may be so but let's not do anything rash leader how many times did you reprimand us in the early days of the situation not to do so?"

"You're right, but maybe it might help if one of our number actually rejoins society, albeit in a secret manner so that we're not busted that easily"

"What do you have in mind sir?"

"Oh I'm female and what I have in mind is one of our number as one of the guards that helps protect the leaders of the planet, that ways we can be informed of things we might not find out otherwise and yet be inconspicuous due to their position"

"That might actually work"

They talk and it's decided one of the more recent people who disappeared would rejoin as a guard and that would ultimately be a lifesaver because six months after everything started coming to a head they alerted the resistance to some major terrorist activity in regards to threats when beforehand they weren't that active in threatening people


	22. Chapter 22

"Leader, I think we're about to reveal ourselves in full aren't we?"

"Yes, no more hiding after today"

"By the way how's your eyesight?"

"Getting blurry at times again, and no I don't understand why the equipment didn't work fully in repairing my eyesight after the acid attack"

"Maybe after this we can get the Federation to send a medical ship to finish the repairs to your eyes"

"Most definitely that will happen, though not necessarily for the reason you think they will, but they might send medical aid for your people because everyone has been affected by this"

"So much for us being able to join the Federation like they had announced when all of this started"

"The Federation understands it's not your fault and they will also quickly find out that steps were taken to stop them, you'll join the Federation once things are a bit more stable I promise you"

Finally the day of the final battle arrived and it was pretty chaotic and live, most resistance fighters were no longer wearing their cloaks that disguised their identities either having taken them off right before battle or having lost them during the fight. Everyone was watching and all were cheering whenever the terrorists were stopped, everyone noticed that the one identified as the leader was still cloaked and fighting the leader of the terrorists and eventually it was only the two of them left

"Surrender now, your people are all either dead or unconscious, I don't want to kill you but I will if I must, you might be afforded lenience if you give this up now"

"I will never surrender to you traitor"

The terrorist leader manages to rip the cloak off of the resistance leader and that's when they receive a surprise, the resistance leader was an alien in a Starfleet uniform

"I am no traitor I am a Starfleet officer, one  _you_  tried to kill months ago when we first decided to see if you met the requirements to join the Federation. Oh and just so you know I've been fighting without my full strength and  _winning_ "

"Then use your full power Starfleet!"

Ashland goes for the bracelet and takes it off and as soon as that is done she simply raises her hand and the terrorist leader goes flying three feet and then she deliberately blindfolds herself and gets back into the battle and wins

"What are you?"

"I'm a Starfleet officer but I am also what's known as a Jedi have abilities that I had to hide because of you but I hide no longer"

She knocks out the terrorist leader and then speaks directly to both the citizens of the planet and also the rest of the Federation since she knew they were also watching

"This is Sophomore Sentinel Portland I hereby declare the terrorists that have been trying to prevent this planet from joining the Federation defeated, I hope Starfleet will send aid soon for these people because they need it, people of this planet you are now free from terror and I hope it remains that way for a very long time, this is Sentinel Portland signing off"

The broadcast ends and Ashland is allowed to use the computer in the main government building to write up the report about the days actions and send that and the rest of the reports she had written while in hiding to Starfleet Command. Once that was done she talked to the citizens who had the same abilities she did as a Jedi

"It's completely up to you as to whether or not you want to train at the temple in the Republic but I figured you at least wanted to know where your strange abilities came from which you no longer have to hide to keep yourselves safe"

"Is that also why you helped us disappear?"

"Yes, but only when we knew your lives were at stake"

"I think all of us need to think about it this is all so sudden"

"I understand and completely agree with you"

Several days later they received the first ships full of supplies and the doctor on board demanded to see Portland as soon as they arrived and Ashland didn't bother to fight it

"What happened to your eyes? I'm seeing partially repaired damage that is degrading again"

"They managed to use acid on me and temporarily blinded me, we used the equipment we had which fixed my eyes but unfortunately it didn't last, turns out the equipment isn't quite good enough but hey it lasted long enough for you guys to arrive to finish the repairs"

"True enough, now then keep your eyes open and in two minutes I'll be back"

Finally though her eyesight was fully repaired and she had orders to rejoin the  _Yoshimaru_  as soon as they could get to it

"For now though you're assigned to me so as to help the transition between the resistance fighters and the Federation go smoothly, though I must say some of your reports showed that your solutions to problems were...inventive to say the least"

"Had to work with what I had and to be honest there were times I wasn't sure if what I was doing was the right thing. Yes I had orders from the Jedi council to see if there were any potential Jedi on the planet and to help them if I could, however to fake my own death was probably a bit much now that I have a chance to fully reflect on the plans I made and did. I could have told more than just my Captain the truth so as to have backup at times when we really needed it, not to mention that maybe if they had known who I was sooner the rest of the resistance wouldn't have been so hesitant to follow some of the plans I had made"

"But do you honestly think you would have survived as long as you did if you hadn't faked your death?"

"I don't know Captain I would like to think I would have but I just don't know"

"By the way how did you manage to get equipment that fixed your eyes partially that lasted long enough for us to arrive?"

"While I was alone I knew that I would eventually be gathering people to fight by my side and I knew that I would need equipment in case anything happened to people, so I slowly started to either gather equipment that wasn't really being used anymore or I built the equipment from scratch using what little I knew as a basis. I made sure that if I was building from scratch I tested it multiple times before using it on an actual person and I was always the first person the equipment was used on because I knew I could live with the consequences of a failed device"

"But you couldn't go into a healing trance due to the Force inhibitor you used on a constant basis"

"True, but I knew that it was better to have consequences on only me for when I had access to bacta and Starfleet equipment again then to risk the lives of the citizens of the planet, fortunately there was only one failed experiment in regards to the equipment and that was because of the fact that we were trying to hack into the comm signals of the terrorists and we never managed to do that, though it did give us a basis of listening in on the government officials to keep tabs on their safety. Besides I had to wear a Force inhibitor at all times that means I couldn't use the trance"

"You are insane you know that Sentinel, you risked your life on a regular basis and it amazes me that things worked out the way they did"

"I know at times I'm surprised as well, there were several times I thought I would be captured and the resistance ended, if that had happened I don't know where the planet would be now"

"Well for now we have a mission to accomplish so let's get to it Sentinel"

"Yes Captain"

They quickly start getting things moving for the people and two weeks later the  _Yoshimaru_  was orbiting ready to pick up their wayward officer who they were decidedly going to have words with for making them believe she was dead for so long, even the Captain was going to have words for not keeping in contact and making him think that something had happened to her for real this time

"You have some explaining to do Sentinel"

"I know Captain believe me I know"

"It's been almost a year since we thought you died, killed in an explosion"

"More like eight months"

"Nine months Sentinel, you're forgetting the time difference between the planet and Federation"

"Okay you have me their Captain, but at least you had hope for three months while they didn't"

"Actually after the three month mark both the Jedi Council and Starfleet agreed the crew could know about your secret mission and three month order, and that's when I learned they hadn't given up hope until I subconsciously started to emit feelings of true loss in regards to you"

"Didn't know that, the problem is that things suddenly started going real fast and I never had a chance to contact you until that live broadcast a few weeks ago"

"Did you successfully complete your mission?"

"Yes I have both Starfleet and the Jedi Council have my reports in regards to that mission"

"It's good to have you back Sentinel, now then normally we wouldn't force you into a major mission so soon after you completed one but unfortunately we're needed at the former Neutral Zone"

"What for?"

"It would appear that some people are still having trouble with the Romulans being part of the Federation so we need to resolve those tensions"

"Even though it's been a few years since they officially joined there's still tension?"

"It would appear so and unfortunately we have no clue just what started things off this time"

"Well then let's go, hopefully we'll arrive before things get out of hand and people start shooting"

They do indeed manage to solve the current problem and soon enough it had been three years since they had managed to free the Federation and it was time for Starfleet to graduate fifteen Jedi. By this time Ashland had actually been transferred to the  _Enterprise_  for her next assignment and it just so happened that they were on Earth at that time so Ashland was at the academy to see her fellow Jedi graduate and become Starfleet officers

"Well let's hope that Starfleet is ready for fifteen Jedi at once, now for me to congratulate them and then get back to the ship"

She goes over to the group of fifteen and they see her and instantly recognize her

"Congratulations on graduating from the Academy, though I do wonder how you managed to catch up to the others Sentinel Loren"

"They tested everyone before allowing them back into the academy to see how far behind they fell during the fight to free the Federation and it turned out that I was pretty much caught up because I stayed with cadets during that fight and they taught me everything they could that first year cadets learned. When that was discovered the teachers decided that I would be taught both years so as to finish my first year training while doing my second year. I exceeded all their expectations and as you can see I graduated with the rest of my fellow Jedi"

"Yes, now then who are..."

They all feel a sudden darkness and Ashland is the first one to recover and start acting

"Get everyone back inside, now"

"Right"

They all split up and start getting the cadets watching and their fellow graduates moving meanwhile Ashland quickly finds the nearest Admiral and runs towards him

"Admiral, get everyone inside now"

"Excuse me officer but..."

"As the highest ranking Jedi in Starfleet I am ordering you to get everyone inside,  _now_!"

She quickly turned away from the Admiral and ran towards the river and also brought out her lightsaber while the rest of the Sentinel's stood guard at the doors so as to help protect everyone should the enemy got past Portland, which as it turned out they would but only because there were so many of the enemy they overwhelmed her, but that's also when they got their first true lesson about being Starfleet officers because the higher ranking officers backed them up from the start covering for them when they couldn't cover for the civilians. A lot of people learned that day  _exactly_  what a Starfleet officer who was also a Jedi could do in a situation like that and people were in awe of their abilities. Once the fighting was over though Ashland ran over to a fellow officer who served with her on the  _Enterprise_  who was a Vulcan, but they were also Force sensitive though they had decided to forgo Jedi training

"T'vran hang on, we'll get you help I promise"

"Not...going...to last...Sentinel...but you can...remember...for...me"

T'vran puts his hand on her just like Spock did to McCoy years earlier and then "passes" on, however Ashland knew what was going to be needed though she did close his eyes in death first

"Help is on the way Sentinel"

"It's too late, all they can do now is help keep his body in stasis until we can get to Vulcan"

"Why do you say that?"

"He passed his Katra into me, and what's more is that the bond is stronger than with Dr. McCoy had with Ambassador Spock because of the fact that we're both Force sensitive, the only difference is that I have training as a Jedi and he decided not to train"

"You do realize that what you're proposing is dangerous, to both of you"

"I know that there's a risk one or both of us can die but I am willing to take that risk, right now we need to get ready to head to Vulcan and I need someone to explain things to Captain Picard for me"

"Why can't you?"

"Because, I'm exhausted and injured, I'm about to pass out"

Right after she says that she does indeed pass out and while they put T'vran in stasis they treat Ashland for her injuries, with Picard looking in on her room

"How is she?"

"She's fine Captain, it's more exhaustion then anything else, but we are worried about her mental state"

"Why?"

"I'm going to be frank, what's been done to her has only been done once before and I fear that if the situation lasts too long we're going to lose her mind"

"What's happened?"

"Lt. T'vran passed his Katra onto Portland, now then when that happened to then Dr. McCoy he was put into a hospital because they believed he lost his mind, now that we know what can happen we can monitor it but I would still feel better if we had a Vulcan healer with you so that we can monitor what happens while the two are combined"

"Granted, how long do we have?"

"I give you two weeks at best"

"How soon can she leave?"

"By tomorrow, we just need to make sure that she's healing fine, seeing as how right now she's unable to go into a healing trance due to the dual minds"

"We'll be ready"

They soon leave and Ashland got a surprise when she woke up, due to her actions in saving lives and the fact that she met all qualifications when she put on her uniform she realized that she had moved up in the ranks again, she now had a black star with silver outlines on her collar. They eventually reach Vulcan and perform the ceremony which would separate the two minds once again, but once the ceremony was completed they had to have a very long meeting with those in charge of T'vran's family due to a unique situation that had popped up


	23. Chapter 23

"Due to the fact that T'vran is Force sensitive we now have a combination of a training and Vulcan sibling bond, due to that we can control just how open the bond is and can if need be pass information on to each other. The downside is that if one of us is hurt the bond might either open up very suddenly or very suddenly we might not feel the other and deliberately open the bond to ascertain the health of the person on the other side of the bond"

"This is going to complicate things with the Captain isn't it?"

"Not to say what Command is going to think about this bond"

"This bond is going to complicate any transfers that are needed isn't it?"

"Indeed Lt. it is however we can also use this bond to our advantage, if you're on mission and I'm not or vice versa then we can keep everyone informed that might need it"

"We'll work it out once we inform the Captain"

"This is going to be a very interesting conversation"

"Does Starfleet even know about training bonds?"

"Yes it's why only Knights and Masters who don't have apprentices are allowed to join, because what affects one can affect the other and that can't be allowed in Starfleet where missions can turn dangerous at a moment and where there is a possibility of being stationed in separate places"

"Yet we've now formed such a bond"

"I know, and that worries me greatly"

"Why?"

"What if something similar happens to other telepaths who make contact with the mind of a Jedi?"

"I see where you are going, especially in Vulcans and most likely Romulans as well, the mind meld"

"Exactly" (sighs) "I think it best we also contact the Jedi Council about this, they might have some answers or suggestions that will help"

"This is going to be a long debrief isn't it Sentinel?"

"No kidding"

It would indeed turn out to be a very long debrief. Both sides needed full information and how it formed so the debrief lasted three days instead of a few hours but finally they had the answers they were looking for, it turned out that the reason why the two had such a bond now wasn't just because of the fact that T'vran was Force sensitive and imprinted his mind onto Ashland's, what had happened was something so rare that it hadn't even been considered possible. When T'vran had let his Katra enter into Ashland's mind as a way of surviving they didn't realize that T'vran had known that his time wasn't yet up and Ashland sensed it as well as soon as the meld started, so both minds together worked out a means of making sure that something like what happened the day of the attack would never happen again. While all of that was going on the Force recognized that they cared for each other like family and decided to form such a bond because that was the only way to keep them together no matter what happened, the Force realized that a strong bond would be needed in the future and started that process at the present when T'vran was dying

"This shouldn't happen again unless the Force decides it's needed again, but something like that will be very rare so don't expect it to automatically happen"

"That's good to know, now then due to what has happened to the two of you I am now ordering that any and all transfers have to go through the two of you since we don't know how far reaching the connection will be or the affects it will have if you're too far and something happens to one of you and you find out through another means"

"Understood sir, for now I think we both like the  _Enterprise_  and will be staying on it"

"Are you using the connection between the two of us right now?"

"No I am not, it's just that I only just joined the  _Enterprise_  and would like to serve for a few years before I even think about a transfer, besides considering how fast I was promoted through the ranks I think it best I have a place to settle down for a few years and hopefully not get promoted too quickly anymore so that I can handle all the responsibilities my rank now gives me, and having a stable place while we both adjust to our new situation is a good thing"

They soon use the link between the two of them in a mission, Ashland was on the planet's surface while T'vran was piloting the ship in standard orbit when things fell apart. The cave the away team was investigating collapsed trapping half of the team while the other half managed to get away, unfortunately for the team the one person who could have minimized any falling debris from hitting them was knocked out instantly, but it was fortunate for the ship because they instantly knew something had gone wrong thanks to T'vran

"Lt. is something wrong?"

"Yes, something's happened to Sentinel Portland"

"The link cut off suddenly?"

"Not so much cut off as much as flare to life with intense pain before going back to a small part of my mind that tells me she's alive but not much else. I can open the bond further if you so order me Captain but I will warn you that might cause me to grab my head in pain again"

"No Lt. for now I think it best that you simply make sure the Sentinel is alive, if we need further information later we'll get it, in the meantime I want a secondary away team to get down there immediately, and make sure they have medical personnel"

Two hours later most of the original away team was back and a third team was being beamed down because the second away team had immediately reported the situation to Picard and he decided to do the rescue in shifts, though he was very relieved when three hours after the second team beamed down T'vran reported that Ashland was conscious though apparently very confused

"It's all a little fuzzy on her end but at least we know she's alive and she and I agreed that our bond is fully open on both ends so that if there's a sudden change in her condition I'll know immediately and can inform the away team"

"What about the rest of the team, can she tell you about them?"

"From what she's told me everyone has injuries of varying degrees but hers are the worst because she was unconscious for so long, the only good thing is that she has a medkit on her and for Jedi medkits come standard with bacta patches"

"Bacta patches which help heal wounds"

"Exactly, I think it's safe to say that she'll be fine"

Eventually they finally managed to break through to the rest of the original away team and start treating them while Ashland closes the bond to normal back of the mind levels which suited the two people just fine because that meant that there was no longer an emergency situation. Two after that everyone was back on board the ship and very relieved that was so

"Sentinel Portland what exactly happened down there?"

"It's not exactly certain sir, but while we were investigating the cave I think I sensed something right before the cave in happened, I quickly Force pushed everyone I could to safety but I couldn't prevent the debris from hitting people and injuring them"

"Why didn't you use the Force to simply keep the cave from collapsing Sentinel? I know for a fact that you could have done that easily"

"That may be true sir, but you're forgetting that I had an instant to decide the best option for the situation we were in and I judged that it was safer to push everyone to an area of safety rather than exhaust myself trying to keep everything from collapsing on us any further. I know that things will still need to be investigated including the reason why the cave collapsed in the first place but I am going to stand by my decision no matter what"

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you Sentinel, in the meantime you're off duty until cleared by the doctor, that means I don't want to hear anything about you training, I might allow for your katas but no sparring is that clear?"

"Yes sir I will obey my restrictions, I know better than to push myself beyond my limitations while healing  _believe_ me on that one"

"Learned it from personal experience?"

"Yes sir I did, twice actually, the first time was when I was just made into a Knight and had gone on my first solo mission as one, it was supposed to be a relatively peaceful mission being at the signing of a planet entering the Republic. Unfortunately for us there were dissidents still on the planet that didn't like the fact that they would now be under Republic rule and decided to attack the signing ceremony, I managed to defeat them along with the security team but badly broke my left leg and right arm during the fight. I was told to rest for a minimum of three days and light duty until told otherwise once my leg and arm had healed up enough for me to be put back on light duty, unfortunately I pushed myself a bit too far in my first duel since being injured and set myself back a solid month. The second time I pushed myself too far was in the Academy my first year, I had been injured in a flight training exercise and was told to take it easy for a few days while my bones knitted back together and my arm regained it's strength, unfortunately at the time I was using a very crude but effective Old Republic Force inhibitor that Jedi trained on so I didn't fully realize the extent of my injuries nor could I use the healing trance. I was quickly allowed to spar again and unfortunately I got too eager and asked my opponent to go full on at me and she managed to strike my injured arm in such a way that it set me back several weeks and caused spasms for the next three months whenever I would move my arm a certain way"

"Okay then you do indeed know what to do while injured, now then I must be getting back to the bridge but be warned that I  _am_ going to keep an eye on the holodecks"

"I understand sir"

Several days later she was released and she went straight into the holodeck when everyone else was busy, when Picard went to her quarters to invite her to poker night he found her room empty and so decided to ask where she was

"Computer where is Sentinel Portland?"

"Sentinel Portland is in holodeck two"

Picard calls to sickbay after that

"Picard to sickbay"

"Sickbay here go ahead?"

"Doctor did you remove Portland as a patient today?"

"Yes sir"

"And did you tell her any restrictions placed on her for now?"

"Yes sir why?"

"Meet me at holodeck two"

Five minutes later they both arrive at the holodeck and see that a program they didn't recognize was running, however it wasn't locked so they entered and saw a sight they didn't recognize with Portland just sitting there in the middle with her eyes closed. Once they got closer they saw Portland open her eyes and look directly at them

"I suppose you want to know about the program?"

"Yes Sentinel, honestly when we first saw an unfamiliar program running and knowing that you were in here we thought you had ignored your restrictions"

(Shakes her head) "I needed some time alone to meditate so I decided to run one of my favorite programs from my time at the Academy and also on the  _Texas_  whenever I needed some peace and quite to meditate on things, I never really got the chance to use it on the  _Yoshimaru_  and I needed to meditate on the most recent mission so I came here"

"Where are we anyways?"

"A very peaceful planet in the Republic, and no it's not Naboo though there are similarities. Sometimes I actually modify programs to have to different locations that sooth me, like this program is the original program but I've modified a version so that I could also have a room of a thousand fountains also there, though it's not the entire room of course"

"Of course, I seem to remember seeing that place when I was at the temple that one time"

"Yes you were, and I think even with that one visit you know why many Jedi like to relax there either by swimming or by meditation"

"Yes it is pretty peaceful there, so all you'll be doing until cleared is meditation in the holodeck?"

"Yes, while I meditate in my room the most often I have had enough of being cooped up and decided to simply go to a place with plenty of space...or well at least the illusion of space"

"Are you going to keep the holodeck open whenever you meditate?"

"Yes, everyone is allowed to join in any of my meditation programs, I will only lock the holodeck if I run one of my more dangerous Jedi programs, only you, the doctor, security chief and Commander Riker are allowed to override the program if you feel it's needed at any time"

"Understood, we won't override it unless we feel it's necessary"

Over the next few weeks officers started taking Portland up on her offer to meditate with her in the holodeck and she also recovered enough to go back on full duty. One day though she got a surprising request from a Lt. who wanted to learn more about her and her abilities

"Sentinel I was wondering if I could join you in one of your training programs that doesn't involve your meditation sequence"

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to forbid that"

"Oh come on Sentinel you know full well that I can take care of myself"

"I'm sorry Lt. but I made a promise that I would never let another Starfleet officer join in my training programs unless they are my fellow Jedi, they're just too dangerous, sometimes even  _I_  get hurt in my training programs with full safeties on"

"Oh did you promise the Captain when you told him about the programs?"

"No I promised the Admiralty when I joined the Academy and had finished explaining their need and could actually make and run the programs"

"Sentinel that was years ago, you know that we're an experienced crew and can take anything the program throws at us not first or second year cadets"

"Sorry, but rules are rules and no one is allowed into my Jedi programs unless they are strictly for meditation and that's final"

Portland leaves to go into one of her locked programs leaving the Lt. to think about what she had said and the Lt. decided not to listen and somehow managed to hack into the system entering one of her Jedi only programs. Ashland would not be able to see the Lt. in time to prevent the hologram from attacking him, almost certainly fatally injuring the Lt. but she did everything right for the situation

"Computer end program!" (taps comm badge) "Sentinel Portland to sickbay medical emergency in holodeck three!"

She runs over to the Lt. and does everything she could to keep him alive until the medical officers could get there, which they arrived within three minutes. Unfortunately two hours later she would be informed that the Lt. died despite all of there best efforts

"Sentinel what happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure Commander, one minute I was running one of my Jedi only programs after having told the Lt. that he wouldn't be allowed to join and then the next I saw him get fatally stabbed by the hologram, though it wouldn't have been fatal if the Lt. hadn't moved the way he had when confronted with the hologram because I always make sure that the safeties are always on when I run those programs for the exact reason that they can be fatal otherwise"

Worf, LaForge, and Data all enter sickbay at that point to talk to Portland and the Commander

"Commander, Sentinel from what we can tell the Lt. managed to hack the security system that locks down all of the Sentinel's Jedi only programs while bypassing the alarm system you set up Sentinel to alert you to such an issue so that you could stop the program immediately, he also managed to bypass securities alerts to such a hack though he didn't cover up his tracks once we were looking for such a thing though we can't tell why he did so poorly in that if he managed to hack in the first place"

"From what I have observed he also did not think about the fact that even if he had not been killed he would have still been forced to face the consequences of his actions by both the Sentinel and the Captain. The reason you can tell this is because he has apparently hacked or attempted to hack into at least five different programs the Sentinel created that only she or another Jedi can access, the only reason why the hacked programs never ran is because of a security measure I am unfamiliar with"

"I am also wondering about that Sentinel, especially because as Security Chief you should have come to me if you were worried about security issues with your special programs"

"I know Commander Worf and I'm sorry, I really should have come to you but in all honesty I wasn't thinking about that because of the fact that I have been using and protecting these programs for so long on my own I didn't think that you might have had some ideas yourself to help protect them"

"What security measure did you use that has them confused Sentinel?"

"A voice recognition on top of clearance passwords that only fellow Jedi will know of, and as each Jedi joins Starfleet their voices will be added to the programs, only the Admiralty has an override on how the passwords are passed onto other Jedi and that's in case we need them to pass those passwords on because all other Jedi are dead, like I already told the Captain, certain people on board this ship has the authority to override my locks if they feel it necessary but I don't think that will happen too often if at all but I'm pretty sure that the Captain has already informed the people who need to know who has the override if necessary"

"He has, but I think for now I am ordering you to shut down those programs until further notice, we can't have Starfleet officers deciding to simply ignore what you tell them and enter programs that are simply too dangerous for them to enter"

"I understand sir, this was something we didn't think of when I was in the Academy because we never thought this would be a problem so the Admiralty and I have no procedures for this"

"Well considering that the Lt. is dead I doubt that there will be repercussions this time but if there is a survivor I think you should establish what happens to the offenders just like with your lightsabers"

"I understand sir, but for now I need to go on duty, oh and by the way inform Captain Picard that he will have the final say on punishments once I can think them up"

"Understood Sentinel now get to your station"

She heads to her primary station which was actually on the bridge and things were actually calm until half way through her shift when she detected a mild disturbance in the Force which made her close her eyes in concentration. No one noticed this because of the fact that they were currently at warp heading for another planet that was actually requesting assistance in a medical issue, but they certainly noticed when she suddenly punched in new coordinates without prior approval

"Sentinel why have you changed course without my approval?"

"Simple sir, we would have been destroyed otherwise, a ship had been following us at high warp for at least two minutes before they fired at us. I only just managed to change course in time and unfortunately for us they're still following for an unknown reason, but it's almost as if...dropping out of warp now!"

They quickly drop out of warp and Ashland leaves her post and heads up to tactical


	24. Chapter 24

"Move it Lt. I need to be there right now"

"Sentinel what has gotten into you?"

"Sorry sir, but I am acting on my authority as a Jedi right now, something is following us and I think they know that there is a Jedi on board, the only thing I can think of is either Jedi hunters or Sith, but seeing as how I'm not detecting a huge amount of darkness it's most likely Jedi hunters"

"Can you put on your Force inhibitor before they drop out of warp and come back to us?"

"Sorry sir but that's not possible right now I need all of my abilities if we're going to beat them"

(Sighs) "I understand Sentinel, you lead and we'll follow"

"Right all hands Yellow alert be prepared for Red alert as soon as we're fired upon, shields are up and weapons ready, I also have hailing frequencies open waiting to see if they respond"

"And who answers?"

"Depending on the response I will answer unless I feel it's better that you answer"

"Right, anything else we should do Sentinel?"

"No sir I can't...wait, could you get Commander Data up here Lt.? I normally would but unfortunately I'm a bit busy with a few other things and I don't have the time"

"Got it"

Data heads up to the bridge in short order and asks for a situation report which he is quickly given

"Sentinel I do not understand why you have not called either Captain Picard or Commander Riker as they have higher authority then either of us in normal situations"

"It's easy sir, I need you to take the helm because I might be calling in moves real fast and you're the only person who will be fast enough to make the proper adjustments, not to mention I want someone from the command team up here in case I become incapacitated at any point in time"

"Understood Sentinel awaiting your orders"

The enemy ship arrives and continues to ignore Ashland's hails and then fires upon them making the ship go to red alert and Ashland firing off the phasers. Not long into the battle Ashland suddenly realizes she has to make a very dangerous move but it was the only move left open to them and by this time both Riker and Picard had joined them on the ship despite their exhaustion and were quickly read in on the situation and let Portland continue to make the call and she makes a request that confuses everyone for only a few moments into her speech

"Captain open ship wide communications"

"Open"

"All hands this is Sentinel Portland speaking, by now you know that we are currently in a battle, we don't know what the ship wants because they are refusing to answer to our hails and they are succeeding in draining our shields and will destroy the ship and everyone on it unless we do something drastic. I am ordering all civilians and half the crew to evacuate to the drive section which will then separate from the saucer section and go to the nearest Starfleet station they can find, once there they are to contact Starfleet Command  _directly_ and tell them what has happened. They are also to inform Starfleet about the possibility of Jedi hunters in Federation space and that they are to warn all Jedi about this threat and then contact the Republic and ask for any information about current Jedi hunters and for any assistance they can think of in helping catch said hunters operating in our space. Once finished you are to stay at the station until you either hear from the saucer section or have our destruction confirmed by another Jedi or Starfleet vessel, Sentinel Portland out"

Picard cuts ship wide communication and looks to Portland for further orders

"Captain, Commander those instructions apply to you as well, they're going to need you in a worse case scenario and besides Commander Data is already here in case something happens to me"

"I think not Sentinel, while we may have to obey your orders normally you do remember that Command has given both the Captain and First Officer the right to refuse orders if they feel the grounds are sufficient. I believe that you are incapable of doing this without us due to poor judgment as such Riker and I will..."

Both Picard and Riker suddenly collapse on the floor unconscious

"Lt. Thomas take them to the battle bridge and then return to your post"

"What exactly did you do to them?"

"Mild Force suggestion to go to sleep, it shouldn't last longer than five minutes which is more than enough time for the saucer to separate and the drive section to be heading to the nearest station at maximum warp, Ensign Collins will help you Lt. but he will be staying on the battle bridge"

Two minutes later Lt. Thomas was back and a minute after that they got confirmation that the drive section had separated and they were being hailed by it

"Open frequencies"

"Sentinel good luck with the enemy"

"Thank you Lt. now then no matter what happens you head to that station even if the Captain orders otherwise I am giving you full authority to override his orders tell him...tell him that it's the final day of the play and the lead actor has fallen ill, as the lead actors second he must carry on with the show for it to be a success"

"I understand sir"

"Good now get out of here before you lose your chance maximum warp"

Not three minutes later the ship showed up once again and this time they actually answered hails

"Well this is a surprise, did you send your Jedi away while you delay us here?"

Data and Portland look at each other for a brief moment and when Ashland nods Data nods back and they switch places indicating that Ashland was the one to speak for the ship

"Actually no we did not who are you and why have you ignored our hails and attacked our ship?"

"Simple we figured we had nothing to say to you until now, and we are Jedi hunters who are you?"

"I am First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland also known as Jedi Knight Ashland Portland what do you want with me?"

"The government of Solon wants to try you for actions made during a peace treaty you were there for shortly after you first attained your Knighthood"

"That was almost twelve years ago, and what are the charges?"

"The murder of the Prime Ministers daughter"

"That's impossible she was no where's near me while I was fighting the rebels I would have sensed her otherwise, and besides why wait twelve years to press charges against me?"

"Who knows but you either surrender to us or deal with bounty hunters in the near future"

Ashland turns and gives the signal to silence communications between the two ships

"Troi are you sensing the same thing I am?"

"Possibly but they seem very adept at hiding their feelings"

"They would, they have to be very careful around Jedi because of the fact that we can tell a lot of things through feelings and these are some high level hunters. I know for a fact he isn't lying about the bounty hunters but I can't see why he's mentioning them, or even why these Jedi hunters are here because the government of Solon knows that all they had to do was request my surrender to them to the Senate who would pass that request on to the Council who would have gotten in contact with me and I would have surrendered per my orders"

"But why lie to us and even then why wait twelve years, like you said they didn't do anything then so why now, what could have changed to make them press for charges now?"

"I don't know councilor but I suspect something is going on with the Solon government"

"They are waiting for a response Sentinel"

Ashland turns back around and communications are resumed

"What proof do you have that if I surrender to you the crew will be left alone by other Jedi hunters and all bounty hunters that might be sent after me?, after all it takes six and a half months just to get from Earth to Coruscant the ship could be destroyed by someone looking for me and not believing the crew that I was gone after all"

"We'll transmit a message to all Jedi and bounty hunters once you surrender to us so that they know we have you"

Ashland sits down and goes into a thinking pose for a few moments and then sits up again

"I think not, I believe that you're lying about the whole thing after all if I really was wanted as a criminal Solon would have gone through the proper channels and I would have known by now that I was needed back in the Republic, Lt. launch torpedoes on my mark and once that's done get ready to head to warp Ensign"

They quickly indicate that they were ready and Ashland told them to do what she ordered them to do


	25. Chapter 25

"What are your orders now Sentinel?"

"I want us to head to an uninhabited part of the quadrant where there are only observation ships in the area, we're going to end things there, by now the drive section should be at the nearest starbase and they should have contacted the Federation by now and relayed everything I had told them to relay"

They eventually arrive at the perfect location to end things with the Jedi hunters. Meanwhile several hours earlier the drive section of the  _Enterprise_  had indeed arrived at the nearest starbase and had relayed everything the Sentinel had told them to relay, and Picard was shocked that a Lt. was overriding his orders to turn back due to the orders of his Sentinel but once he talked about it with Riker he finally understood why Ashland had done and ordered what she had, even if he didn't have to like it he understood it

"We understand Captain Picard, we will of course pass on this information to the Republic, in the meantime while you are stuck there I suggest you start teaching the starbase how to handle Jedi because one of the new graduates will be stationed there at the end of the year"

"Understood Admiral"

Over the next several hours while they were waiting for word from either the Republic Senate or the saucer section of the ship they met with the commanding officers of the base and started explaining how to handle Jedi especially when they were acting in the will of the Force

"Oh also watch out for suddenly falling asleep and ending up some where's else"

"Personal experience?"

"Indeed my own Sentinel did that to both me and Commander Riker right before the ship separated"

"What caused her to do so Captain?"

"I wasn't listening in regards to the orders she was giving, now that I think about it she was thinking straight and I just thought she hadn't been"

"Wait why does that matter?"

"Simple we have the authority to disregard orders if they are compromised"

"Good to know, is it easy to tell if they are compromised?"

"It depends on just how compromised they are, and it also depends on the means of being compromised but yes it normally is easy to tell"

"Okay, have we heard anything from the saucer section?"

"No sir"

Two  _days_  later they finally make contact with the saucer section once more

"Sorry we're late sir, we had a few engine troubles"

"Understood Sentinel we'll be waiting for you just outside the base so that we can dock"

"Yes sir, has Command gotten back with you on what you passed on to them?"

"No but they should soon enough"

Once everyone was back where they belonged Ashland returned control back to Picard and then requested permission to miss her current shift which she was supposed to be on in three hours and it's quickly granted because they could tell that Ashland was tired, most likely from the hours she had stayed up just to make sure that the ship would remain safe from any possible danger after having defeated the hunters with a combination of skill and luck

"I will be looking forward to your report after you get some sleep Sentinel, and of course you know the rules of the fact that if you can't sleep you are to go to medical to get sleep aids"

"I know Captain, that has been in place for so long that I don't even question the need because at times it is needed, oh by the way T'vran has reported that repairs should be finished within three hours if the starbase personnel do the job from the outside and in at the same time"

"Understood, we need some upgrades anyways so now would be a good time"

Over the next several days reports from the half of the crew that were in the saucer section were given to Picard and the upgrades and repairs were completed and the  _Enterprise_  was given yet another mission with a planet that was thinking about joining the Federation but wanted more information before deciding either way, though the planet did confirm that even if they didn't join the Federation they were willing to go into a trade agreement until they felt that they were ready to join if ever

"You know that actually sounds reasonable, by they way have we heard anything from the Admiralty or Republic about hunters?"

"Actually yes, and now that I think about it I seem to recall receiving an order that you contact the temple about something, the Republic Senate did mention that the Jedi Council is being a bit elusive right now and are actually sending Jedi over more often, especially to guard our representatives in the Senate, which according to them is quite unusual"

"Understood, I will of course contact them when I am off shift in my quarters"

"Sorry Sentinel but I get the feeling you are to contact them as soon as you receive the message"

"Understood sir, hopefully I won't be more than a few minutes late"

"Use my office"

"Yes sir"

She heads to the ready room and presses the correct sequence to contact the Jedi Council

"Master Skywalker, Council what is going on?"

"Have you felt a disturbance lately in the Force?"

"Not really but then again I've been on such high alert since the Jedi hunter I feel every little thing that has been going on and that's starting to make me paranoid"

"About that we talked to the government of Solon and apparently they were the actions of rogue government members who felt you should have been punished all those years ago and they are telling the truth about that"

"Figures, now then what are you sensing that I apparently am not?"

"Something big is about to happen to the Federation but we don't know if it will happen here or in your galaxy so we're ordering all Jedi in Starfleet to be on alert, however for you I think you need to stand down for a few days unless something happens that forces you to do so otherwise"

"Understood Master, I will of course act as I see fit if things escalate and of course will give you a report whenever or if what your sensing happens"

"Very well, hope to hear from you soon Sentinel"

"Understood Master, Sentinel Portland out"

She ends communications and heads to her station. A short time later they arrived at the planet and Ashland was part of the away team which included T'vran this time and things were going fine when suddenly Ashland was challenged to ritual combat to prove that the Federation was as strong as they were saying it was, and they were mainly testing the skills of Starfleet officers

"It will be pure hand to hand combat and if you have any special abilities they will not be allowed"

"Very well I accept your challenge and your rules"

With those words said she puts on the Force inhibitor bracelet giving her the skills of an average human

"So what's the bracelet for?"

"To abide by the rules I need the bracelet, now then are we fighting or not?"

"We are, let's begin"

So the hand to hand combat gets underway when suddenly Ashland's opponent goes for her eyes and blinds her with a powder he had prepared beforehand and had managed to hide on his person until the right moment thinking that would give him an advantage

"Serves you right to think I would abide by the rules"

The leader speaks up then

"Which means you forfeit this match due to your cowardly tactics"

"I think not"

With those words and a snap of the fingers several armed rebels appeared

"I have been planning for this day for a long time Minister, I  _was_  going to fight you originally but when I heard that we were entering talks with the Federation I decided to test the Starfleet officers and see how they reacted to such a situation, and if you want to know the reason why I am doing this is simply because I hate you, you may be a good leader and all but thanks to some of your policies people have died or simply disappeared"

"I think I understand what you're talking about but you don't have the full information on some of those deaths or disappearances. There's more going on here than you know or understand, part of the reason why we were talking to the Federation was to see how they dealt with conflicts and how they handled being intermediaries between two people who aren't even part of their Federation"

"Tell that to my brother who died or my sister who simply vanished three months ago. Now then I will finish this Starfleet officer off and then force the rest of them to leave"

"Except beating me won't be that easy, even with my abilities cut off I can fight you blind no problem"

"Sentinel you don't have to follow his stupid rules if he's not going to obey them himself you know that so why don't you just take the bracelet off and go wild"

"Sorry Lt. but I am going to honor my part of the bargain even if he's broken his, I can take him no problem, after all only cowards cheat to gain the upper hand"

The leader speaks up again

"Except he blinded you with a unique powder you can't fight him like that"

"Just watch me I'll beat him and stop this coup"

The fight lasts for several more minutes but finally Ashland actually defeats him but she would be forced to kill him with his own weapon

"This coup is through and now I will explain things which he should have allowed in the first place. I know you have lost people to death and just disappearing. There has been a neighboring system that for the past two years have tried to forcibly make us part of them, we are a peaceful group that means we do not fight unless we have no choice. They have killed several of our people but we sometimes manage to find out who's next and so we make them disappear to locations that only those in the highest sections of government know about. Sadly they will remain hidden until we know for sure that their lives are no longer at risk, so we must ask those who have loved ones missing to hold on a little longer until we deal with our violent neighbors"

Ashland takes off the Force inhibitor and they go with the medics of the planet so that they could deal with Ashland's temporary blindness. Once that was done talks were continued and the Captain agreed to talk to the Federation about their situation and see what they could do about initiating talks between the two groups at a neutral location

"Sentinel, are you doing good now?"

"Yes sir, I can see almost as good as before, I think a good nights rest will take care of the residual blurriness I am dealing with, oh and Captain I would be on the alert for anymore dissidents"

"Understood Sentinel, can you stay here to help explain things about Starfleet?"

"Sure Captain I don't need to see to talk about Starfleet"

Ashland started talking and was doing fine when suddenly she grabbed her head as if in a great deal of pain and simply stayed in that position for a solid minute. Once she was out of that position her head was up and her eyes were wide with pupils dilated and she slammed her hand onto the commbadge

"Portland to  _Enterprise_  contact the Senate see if anything major has just happened there then contact the Council ask if there are any Starfleet ships in their area and have our people on them I want answers by the time we get back onto the ship or if not then within an hour of our return, Troi you're probably going to be feeling a lot of backlash soon depending on what we find out from multiple people I want you to prepare yourself for that, in fact activate my meditation programs and have them on standby, I have a feeling that I at least will need them, and others might also need them including you, tell the crew about them as soon as they're up and on standby. Worf I need you to enact the security measures we discussed in regards to my  _special_  programs for when I am obviously not in a stable state of mind and right now I think this qualifies, once that's done we should be fine, Portland out"

She then faces the Captain who had an obvious look of wanting information

"Captain, remember that private communication I had in your ready room a few weeks ago?"

"Yes, is that important?"

"Yes I was warned of exactly this possibility by the Council, I need you to contact Command as soon as we're back on the ship to see if any of the other ships with my people are affected as well, including the Academy, as it is we're lucky I'm not comatose right now"

"Understood Sentinel, Prime Minister I think it best we contact the Federation and have them send another ship to finish negotiations with you"

"Of course, though I am wondering why Portland is the only one with a different designation than the rest of your officers who have from what I understand Navy ranks"

"That's a bit complicated right now and not to be discussed until a later date"

They quickly get back to the ship and half an hour later Ashland had the information she needed and it was not good news at all, there had indeed been an attack on the Senate because of Starfleet and there were two ships in Republic space and one of them, the one that had been destroyed has six Jedi who wanted to know more about Starfleet before deciding either way if they wanted to join or not. Ashland then found out from Picard that all the other Jedi had been taken off duty until further notice because of the incident being felt by them and two of them were comatose by the backlash but would recover quickly enough, it's just that the two that were comatose had lost their former Masters after having been Knights for only two years


	26. Chapter 26

"I understand, I'll be in the holodeck meditating if anyone wants me. I am  _so_  glad I made those precautions with my programs in regards to myself when that Lt. disobeyed my orders all those weeks ago, otherwise I would be putting myself at risk"

"Understood Sentinel, go meditate I can literally see you vibrating with restrained emotions"

"Thank you sir, are there any other orders for me from either Command or Council?"

"You do have one order from the Council and it's due to what happened at the Senate, you are to remain at your post unless otherwise ordered by Starfleet, you are not to engage in any actions you may feel are the will of the Force for a period of two weeks and...they have banned all Jedi from meditating using the Force which means if you want to meditate you have to wear the Force inhibitors"

"Then Captain, as the senior Sentinel I am going to pass on an order to the rest of the Jedi that are currently serving in Starfleet"

Picard punches something real quick and nods letting her know that this order was being passed on to the entire Fleet at this very moment

"I First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland as the highest ranking Sentinel do hereby order all Jedi to wear their Force inhibitor bracelets at all times for a period of at minimum three weeks and a maximum of three months depending on how you feel after the initial period of time we are not allowed to meditate using the Force, any Jedi that disregards these orders will have to answer to not only their commanding officers but also to me, for any Jedi that are currently cadets they will not answer to me for one reason and one reason only, because they will be answering to not only the headmaster of the school but also at minimum three appropriately ranked and cleared Admirals. I also hereby give special circumstances exemption to all Starfleet doctor's should they feel that their patients life will be in danger if they do not have access to the Force. Sentinel Portland out"

Communications are then cut and Portland immediately puts on the bracelet

"Well like I said I'll be in the holodeck in my meditation simulations because I desperately need the meditation time, I will of course be available when you need me and yes Jedi have been taught how to meditate without the Force, it's needed in case we encounter Force inhibitors while a captive"

"I will leave you to it then Sentinel, but I expect you back on duty within twenty-four hours"

"Understood sir"

Ashland goes into a three hour meditation session with others joining in at various times because soon after she was informed of the entire situation the rest of the crew was informed and some of them also realized that they needed to meditate on issues, especially the Vulcans and Troi who had empathic and telepathic abilities which affected them and their work. Others had started to learn to enjoy meditation and simply joined in so that they could reflect on things. Once Ashland was done meditating she went to her quarters for sleep, honest to goodness sleep which she so desperately needed. Over the next several days everyone kept a closer eye on Ashland especially considering that once Starfleet was informed that another ship had to take over they gave Ashland two days to recover and then sent them on a simple exploration mission as no one knew how Ashland would handle such a potentially dangerous mission without her ability to access the Force

"I'll be fine, look I've had to do dangerous things without the access to the Force before just ask Picard about that one planet we stayed on when we had to fight to free the Federation"

They land and things go south really fast, so fast that no one really had time to do much more than simply run for several minutes

"Okay time for a plan B because that's what it's going to take to get off this planet"

"Well who knew there would be dangerous animals that lived here, not us"

Suddenly though they heard weapons fire, and weapons fire that Ashland was used to as well

"Oh great this is  _not_  good, not good at all"

"What is that we're hearing?"

"Um, has everyone heard of the battle for Naboo?"

"The one you participated in, what of it?"

"The enemy had those weapons, of all the times for us Jedi to be forced to have Force inhibitors now is most certainly not the time"

"You still have at least two and a half weeks to go don't you?"

"Yes I do, well follow me we're going to have to modify our plans a bit"

"How do you propose we do that?"

"Just follow me, you'll know more when we get to our proper location, trust me this worked on Naboo it will most definitely work here"

Finally they reach the location Ashland wanted

"Okay what are we doing here?"

"A trick I learned on Naboo who learned it from the Rebel Alliance, we're going to break those weapons using heavy logs tied to trees with vines"

"Say what now?"

"Oh, just follow my lead, what I did to slow them down won't last for very long and it's a lot harder to set everything up when you don't have access to the Force"

Ashland shows them what to do step by step and several people soon start to understand what was going on and started setting up more of those devices knowing that Ashland would need them. Not two minutes after they finished preparations the enemy was upon them and they used their new weapons to good effect, Ashland even showed them where to point their phasers which were also of use thanks to the modifications Starfleet made after having been shown said modifications by some of the Jedi who had modified the phasers that officers had on Naboo

"Looks like this planet isn't as uninhabited as we thought it was"

"Actually it looks more like Republic and Federation enemies remained after the war and rebuilt without our knowing, they're also ruining the native habitat here. We could potentially colonize it but with our enemies here as well it's simply too dangerous"

"So we just give up and leave this place to the enemy?"

"No because since it's inside Federation space they can easily attack a planet inhabited by people which would weaken our position overall seeing as how Starfleet is based on Earth"

"Got a plan B then?"

"For now no, but I have a feeling that once we present our case to the Captain he'll think of something and it will be good, it will be very good"

They eventually leave the planet and Ashland immediately reports their findings to the Captain including the bit about the enemy

"I see, is there anything we can do to slow them down now Sentinel?"

"Maybe, but we also don't know if they have other planets on their side or weapons, plus we don't know how many stay on the surface. Not to mention they must have shielding of some kind because of the fact that we couldn't read any of their life-signs when we scanned the planet"

"Right, we'll leave the planet for now and issue a Federation wide alert about this"

"Understood sir, anything I can do to help?"

"Just give us all the information you can on the enemy, because while I know some of it you have fought them the longest if they were involved with Naboo"

"Yes sir"

So she goes to her quarters and writes out a very long and detailed report on the enemy and their weapons, both their strengths and weaknesses and sent it to the rest of the Fleet and other Federation planets that had ships that could also fight should they so choose. Once that was done she goes to sleep but doesn't get much of it because even though she had her Force inhibitor on, she would occasionally dream about missions gone wrong if she had no access to the Force and that's what happened that night, it actually got so bad that she went to sickbay because she just couldn't sleep

"Portland you look exhausted, what's wrong?"

"I can't get any sleep, it's not Force visions, it's my memories of missions gone wrong that's preventing me from getting real sleep this time"

"Come on I'll give you a sedative and send one of my nurses with you to make sure you get back safely I'll also want to see you before your shift to make sure that you're okay to actually work"

"Understood doctor"

She's given the sedative which actually works really fast because of just how exhausted Ashland was from fighting her memories and waking up about every fifteen minutes

"I'll get her to her quarters"

Fortunately Ashland sleeps the rest of the night and has no lasting ill effects from her lack of sleep. The remaining period where she and all other Sentinel's were required to wear their inhibitors passed in relative peace but finally the three weeks were up and Ashland took off the inhibitor and knew that her period of waiting was up. Yes she felt minor disturbances but knew that they would take care of themselves and everyone else was doing fine as well

"Now then, I am going to simply enjoy meditating in the Force for an hour and then report to my shift"

"Very good Sentinel, how do you feel otherwise?"

"Good, actually glad I said three weeks which was an extra week longer than the council because with the way things have been these past few weeks I'm not sure we could have coped otherwise"

"What do you mean?"

"All those disturbances would have bombarded our senses especially given our extra sensitivity after losing so many people thus the reason why not having access for three weeks was needed"

"So that you could cope with your loss and not have to deal with other sorrows"

"Exactly councilor Troi exactly,we needed time to cope with our loss and I figured depending on the situation it might take some people at least a week maybe longer to have the actual time to properly reflect on our loss and mourn, and the Sentinel's know that"

"Then why have a maximum limit of three months?"

"That's just a general time frame that I am giving them to either find time to properly reflect and mourn on their own or realize that they need to request the proper time to do so, some might also need to seek out professional help which they would know if they needed it"

"Like you've done in the past haven't you?"

"Yes I too have made use of the councilors on Academy grounds which I knew were cleared to know about me, I have also used councilors at my other posts, which reminds me we still on at 1400 Troi?"

"Yes we're still on"

"So now that the time limit is up it's up to the individuals to decide when they're ready"

"Exactly Captain, but I also had to set up the time limit because I didn't want them to stay away from the Force due to potential fear that when they do access it again it will all slam into them and they'll be unable to handle it"

"Thus why you also mentioned how they felt after the initial three week period"

"Exactly I know some will have to ease themselves back into being Sentinel's depending on their sensitivity and the area they are in"

"When will you know if your orders were obeyed?"

"Within the week, I sent a separate message to those that I know have Jedi to wait until I have access to the Force again which I will inform them right before I meditate speaking of which I should go and do that now before I run out of time"

"See you on your shift Sentinel"

Ashland decides to have a private meditation session and simply sends out the message and then goes into her meditation pose simply enjoying being one with the Force for the first time in three weeks. An hour later she was meeting with Troi which lasted about fifteen minutes and then she was on shift. While on shift things were going well when Picard asked her to look at something real quick

"I have no clue what this is"

She looks at it and groans

"Sorry Captain, looks like a report meant for me was accidentally given to you instead. As a Jedi I come across many different people and cultures and while I don't exactly know all the languages the Force does help me translate that which I don't know, but this language I know. I am fluent in Basic, Bocce, and Huttese, seeing as how I lived on Tatooine for many years one gets to learn the language. Transfer the report to my PADD and if anything important is on there that you need to know about I'll let you know"

"Okay just how do you know the other two languages then?"

"Think about it, Basic is spoken right there and you heard it, as for Bocce, look up a deep undercover mission given to me just before I was assigned the mission that led me to both the Federation and Starfleet I think you'll find it very interesting to say the least"

"Fine, now then get back to your station, we're about to head into a potentially dangerous area of space and I need everyone on alert"

"Yes sir"

They remained on alert for several hours and Ashland was actually working with Lt. Commander Data when suddenly she changed directions yet again without prior authorization, but seeing as how they were in a dangerous area Picard decided to ask Ashland a question before doing anything else


	27. Chapter 27

"Sentinel what was that about?"

"Sorry sir, but if I hadn't changed course when I did we would have been ambushed, it will take us about an hour longer to get to our location now but it is most definitely safer than our previous course"

"Very well Sentinel, carry on"

"No problem Commander Data when I tell you I need you to make rapid course directions that might not make sense but will keep us safe"

"Will do Sentinel, waiting for your orders"

"Good and Captain, it appears that our enemy is Force sensitive because they're actually following us through the Force I can feel it, tell Starfleet about that would you just in case something happens at least this ways the rest of the Fleet will be informed"

"Right away Sentinel, Number One you have the bridge"

Right after that both Ashland and Data started working together to stay one step ahead of the enemy but because they were Force sensitive it wasn't easy and then suddenly Ashland cried out in pain and grabbed her head and stayed there they also heard words from her, through gritted teeth

"Get...out...of...my...head...I...won't...do...what...you...say...Commander...Riker...Force...inhibitor"

Riker quickly puts Ashland's Force inhibitor on her and she simply collapses sideways to the ground in pure exhaustion while Data just does random movement to try and keep the Force user off balance. Once Ashland recovered from the mental attack she returned to her station and simply monitored the situation so that she could be ready to assist at a moments notice

"What exactly happened Sentinel?"

"We didn't just encounter a Force user, we have a Sith on our tails we need to switch gears and fast because even though I am no longer able to sense the Force the Sith knows there's a Jedi on board even if they can no longer sense me"

"What exactly were they trying to do to you?"

"Drop us out of warp and disable the shields for easy destruction, Commander, be  _very_  glad that we have training to deal with such mental assaults"

"What's the plan now?"

"Simple we do our best to keep away from our tail and maybe get to some major backup which means either Romulus or Qo'noS" (Kronos) "they will help us if asked and quite frankly as far as I know even if they have Force sensitive people they aren't trained which means that they won't be major targets if at all, and that means they can help us without risk to themselves"

"We can get there within seventy-two hours at our current speed Commander but I must inform you that we will be at extreme risk for being captured"

"Understood Mister Data, just get us to allies, also I want to contact Command about this new development, and where's Captain Picard I thought he would be back by now"

Picard exists his office right then

"Apologies Number One I had some connection issues"

"Right, Lt. get Command on the line let them know someone else has to take our mission and then contact the Klingon home world, they're the closest who should be able to help us and yes Data we know the risks of going on one path when dealing with the Sith, Sentinel I suggest keeping that inhibitor on until we know for sure it's safe"

"Already planning on it sir, I  _really_  don't want to deal with another mental attack if I can help it"

They are quickly able to contact the Klingon home world and explain the situation which they reply send the Sith to them and they would gladly blow them up because it turned out they had recently been attacked by those claiming to be Sith and had lost three battle cruisers. Once that was done they contact Command and let them know of the situation as well

"Sentinel Portland are you sure you can't access the Force again until after the Sith is taken care of?"

"Yes sir, if the Sith is strong enough to get through my shields then they are strong enough to eventually get control of me and that is not a good thing, having the inhibitor on is the best thing for the survival of the  _Enterprise_ "

"What about Lt. T'vran?"

"He's not as Force sensitive as I am though he could be trained he doesn't want to be, besides I've been teaching him how to hide his signature so that he's not discovered unless absolutely necessary"

"Very well then, we'll assign another ship to your mission while you take care of your tail, once that is done the Romulan home world actually needs you to help them with a few issues that recently popped up which only you can take care of Sentinel"

"Understood sir,we'll got there after we get rid of our Sith tail"

Data continued to do his best to keep away from the Sith follower but they were pushing things pretty far in that regard LaForge even mentioned that if they continued at their pace they might not make it to Qo'noS but they honestly had no other choice

"When I get this inhibitor off I am going to go into one of my more serious programs and work off the minor frustration of having to deal with the Sith, no Worf it's not bad enough that you have to lock me out of my own programs"

"You need to do your exercises to simply help supplement your meditations don't you?"

"Yes, you could say it's another form of meditation and keeps me in shape as well"

"Don't worry as soon as we deal with our Sith problem you'll have at least two hours scheduled for your training programs"

"Thanks Captain, for now though let's deal with our problem of being followed and not being able to do much to change our position to keep them off balance"

"Not that it was doing much in the first place"

"Not my fault Commander"

"Sir, we will be coming up on the Klingon home world soon"

"Very good Mr. Data, Lt. signal the Klingon fleet that we're ready when they are"

"Yes sir"

They soon get a reply back that they were ready when they dropped out of warp. Two hours later the  _Enterprise_  dropped out of warp which was quickly followed by the Sith and while the  _Enterprise_ helped the Klingon's defeat the enemy it was mainly the Klingon's who did the most damage and ultimately were the one's who destroyed the Sith vessel

"Thank them for their assistance with our issue, and Sentinel I believe that you can take off your inhibitor now"

"Indeed I can Captain"

She quickly takes off the inhibitor and gets a quick feel of her surroundings with the Force

"Everything alright Sentinel?"

"Yes Captain, just doing a quick check of the surroundings, Captain I do believe you might want to alert the Captain of the second ship that he has a Force sensitive pilot on his hands, enough for him to be fully trained as a Jedi if he so chose"

"Will do but like you said it's his choice"

The Klingon Captain replies that he hadn't known and neither had the pilot, but they needed time to think about the new information, once that was done the  _Enterprise_  headed to Romulus and found out what the problem was which was pretty big. It turned out that the Force sensitive Romulans were currently having trouble controlling their abilities and they had no idea why, they were currently taking the Force inhibitors just to make sure that they didn't lose control

"Okay let's do some tests and then we'll figure out the next step, it might be a simple solution but it might not be we don't know"

They get the results of the tests which only prove more confusing

"What now Sentinel?"

(Sighs) "I'm afraid this is more complicated than what Starfleet Medical can handle, we're going to have to request a mission to Coruscant so that you can be seen at the Jedi Temple, they might have answers for you after doing tests of their own"

"Anything to deal with this issue, let us know when we can leave and we'll be ready for that trip"

"I will most likely be the one to contact Command and let them know of the situation seeing as how I am the senior Sentinel I need to make the request considering what is currently involved"

"When should we expect contact from you again?"

"Soon, trust me it will most definitely be soon"

Two hours later Ashland was back on the surface of Romulus and let's them know the mission was approved and that they would be heading to the Republic as soon as everyone was on board

"Great we're ready"

"Portland to  _Enterprise_  six to beam up"

Everyone is on board and then one of the Romulans asks Portland how long it would take to get to Coruscant seeing as how they had never needed to know that before


	28. Chapter 28

"About six and a half months"

"That's a long time isn't it?"

"Better than a year and a half which is how long it took  _me_  to get from the Republic to Earth and the Federation, in some ways I'm surprised I wasn't discovered until then"

"Well either way we're in for a long trip which might be extended depending on if we run into any trouble on the way"

"Well for now I'll take you to your quarters and we'll go from there, by the way I should mention that due to your Force abilities going haywire you're going to have to wear the bracelet version of the Federation Force inhibitors it's for everyone's safety"

"We understand and will comply with those restrictions, to be honest I don't think we really trust ourselves otherwise"

"Very well, oh and the holodecks have meditation programs at your disposal"

"Good news we will definitely be needing those in the future"

"Let's go get you guys settled then and we'll go from there"

Ashland takes them to the guest quarters and then goes to the holodeck herself because of the fact that she needed to do some of her daily exercises and seeing as how she had a shift in four hours now was the perfect time to do so. Two hours later she was sweaty and breathing hard but she had completed the hardest of her Jedi training simulations and had two hours before the start of her shift which she used to clean up and eat, once that was done she went to her duty station on the bridge

"How are our guests?"

"Doing fine so far, they understand why we have the rule that we have to keep everyone safe, but I do suggest we get to Coruscant as soon as possible because I know what it's like to inhibit the Force for months on end and it is  _not_  a pleasant feeling"

"Don't worry we're on our way and making good time, then again it's only been a few hours so we still have a ways to go, but since we requested the mission to Coruscant most likely we won't be called to anything except an immediate emergency"

"Okay so so far everything's going well then all I have to do is monitor until end of shift"

Things were pretty calm for most of the shift and then Ashland stiffens for a brief moment before fleeing from her seat to the nearest turbolift

"Engineering!"

She quickly gets to Engineering and pushes people out of the area of the core and closes the doors behind her. Once that was done she started pushing several buttons without any prompting or making sense and then suddenly the computer starts going off which was sudden and not good considering what the computer alerted them to

"Core breach in two minutes"

"I know, I know"

Ashland continues pushing buttons but finally has to admit defeat and dumps the core having already dropped the ship out of warp, she also raises the shields to prevent damage from the explosion. Right after all of that happened the bridge contacted engineering

"Picard to Engineering what just happened down there?"

"Sentinel Portland here, right before I left the bridge I sensed that we were about to have a core breach, which would have happened with little to no warning and killed several people if not for me. Unfortunately I was unable to save the core and was forced to dump it before it exploded"

"Understood Sentinel, once you're done down there return to your station please"

"Yes sir, almost finished here, but Captain you might want to call for a tow while I explain the delay to our Romulan guests"

"Understood Sentinel"

She quickly finishes up in Engineering and then informs the Romulans why there was a delay in getting to Coruscant which was understood considering what was currently going on. They are quickly given a tow ship and limp back towards Earth for repairs and after her shift was over Ashland went to sleep only to have a vision/dream sequence

_Dream sequence_

She was on an unfamiliar planet with an unfamiliar race, she was also with several other Starfleet Officers who were of high rank and also the only Jedi even though there were by now several others available and also had been a lot closer to the area than she had been. They had been around a table talking when suddenly there was an explosion and then chaos because of battle though she was quick to bring out her phaser despite the weapons being used against them. They are quickly overrun though and captured though it appeared that at least one Starfleet officer who had managed to escape but they weren't sure if they would remain free. Then one of the alien's enters the cell they were all in and shoots right at her first...

_End dream sequence_

Ashland wakes up very suddenly at that and quickly gets dressed to head to a holodeck knowing instinctively that she shouldn't meditate alone if it could be helped and fortunately finds a meditation program running in the first holodeck she tries. She goes in and joins in on the meditation session trying to both make sense of her dream and also to recenter herself to remind herself that she was okay and several people who entered the meditation program seemed to sense that. Unfortunately they then did something very stupid considering her abilities, one of them decided to approach her without announcing themselves having forgotten that she had been forced into survival situations several times and had through the Force a heightened sense of awareness and she grappled the person who tried to touch her shoulder

"Sentinel it's okay, you're on the  _Enterprise_!"

Ashland's eyes fly open at those words and she instantly releases the Lt. who was in her grasp

"Sorry Lt. I know I shouldn't have attacked you, but honestly I didn't sense you and you didn't announce yourself, um just how new are you to the Fleet and the ship?"

"I've only been in Starfleet a few years but I have heard of Jedi, unfortunately I didn't realize you were one until I saw the star on your uniform but by then it was too late, as for the ship I've only just been assigned, you see you guys just docked in the repair bay"

"Oh didn't know that, guess I've been meditating for longer than I initially thought"

"Yes, even the Captain came to check on you but after he saw you were here safe he didn't do anything other than alert everyone else that you were not to be interrupted, unfortunately I needed to ask you a few questions and forgot what he ordered"

"And thus got yourself attacked because of the fact that you came on me during meditation and didn't announce yourself, and when I sensed someone touching me I reacted instantly because there are risks of the ship being overrun and me not knowing it"

"How is that possible?"

"Simple, per my instructions Starfleet Captain's can disable the alarm in the holodeck I am in so that the enemy has at least one person still on board that can stop them and their plans"

"That would do it, and you have training which means you react first and look second"

"Yes, it's part of the reason why there are rules regarding every aspect of Jedi, for your safety and the safety of others. Several months ago we lost an officer because they didn't obey the rule regarding my Jedi only simulations and got themselves killed because of it"

"I understand, say how about some hand to hand training so that we can get used to each other and partially predict how we move in such a situation?"

"Works for me but not in this simulation, plus there's a simulation designed specifically for people who are new to the abilities of a Jedi. Computer reset to program Jedi knowledge 1, begin program"

The new officer is in the corner in a ray shield like device and Ashland shows him what she can do as a Jedi, both with Starfleet weapons and the weapon of the Jedi, and also how much better Jedi were at fighting blinded because of their use of the Force. Once that was done she ended the simulation and the two of them did hand to hand combat training

"Do you know exactly when I'm expected back on duty Lt.?"

"Tomorrow seeing as how you actually meditated through all but fifteen minutes of your shift, oh and he expects a report on why you were meditating so early and so long just in case of security risks"

"Oh don't worry he will know  _exactly_  what is going on because he's right Command does need to know the situation or well more like the potential situation, a great Jedi Master once said 'always in motion the future is' and they would be right, but it's still best to warn Command of potential danger"

Just then Ashland was called to the observation lounge for an emergency meeting. When she got there Command was on screen looking stressed beyond normal limits

"Sentinel, glad of you to join us, as I was saying Picard we'll ask the Republic if necessary but considering that we have a Jedi with us now on your ship we should ask her ourselves"

"Sirs what's going on and don't you have Jedi at the Academy?"

"Unfortunately not, the ship sending the Jedi to us has gone missing while in Republic space, they're looking but so far as we know no luck, any how we just had a mysterious occurrence of death at one of our member planets and we're wondering if you might recognize the symptoms displayed"

She's shown videos of what happened to the planet's inhabitants and she  _pales_  at seeing the video

"I guess it's safe to assume you recognize what's going on?"

"Yes sir I do, that's the Blue Shadow Virus, a mad doctor recreated it during the Clone Wars but it was thought to have been safely disposed of, if it's here than we're in big trouble because there is no cure known to man in this galaxy because we don't have the Reeksa Root and it's pretty much one hundred percent lethal without it"

"So there's not much we can do than?"

"Well if you access Republic records of all the information we have on the Blue Shadow Virus you might be able to create a vaccine that doesn't involve the Reeksa Root but don't count on it unless you're absolutely positive it will work"

"Understood Sentinel, how do you know about the virus by the way?"

"History lessons sir, very important so that Jedi don't accidentally start a war or political mess"

"Understood, what can you tell us besides it's lethality about this virus?"

"Not much, like I said it's pretty lethal and it was supposed to be eradicated, but one thing I  _can_  tell you about it is that it's spread through water mostly unless they have the airborne version, which is harder to contain. If we can get the Reeksa Root from the Republic we'll have a better chance, but we need a cure fast before it spreads any further"

"Understood Sentinel, we'll ask to see if there's anything similar to the Reeksa Root in these parts while asking for an emergency delivery of the Root"

"If we can get a reliable substitute then we'll be better off than we are now"

"Understood, we'll work things on our end while you do things on yours"

"Understood, I'll ask the Republic about it, we're on the way now that we have our engine, we'll be in Republic space in six and a half months"

"Sentinel, emphasize that we are positive about it being the Blue Shadow Virus and that we have no defense against it"

"Don't worry, they'll know the importance as soon as I mention the Virus"

"Good, by the way we've already released quarantine buoys to make sure that the Virus is contained as much as possible, as it is that entire system is already compromised and more could die before we make a cure, but we'll do our best"

"Understood Command, make sure that any personnel have on bio-containment suits if they are forced to go into an area that the Virus was released in"

"Got it Sentinel"

Communications are ended and Ashland quickly contacts the Senate imputing the emergency code given to her right before her mission which had her join Starfleet


	29. Chapter 29

"Sentinel Portland what's wrong?"

"Blue Shadow Virus, it's been released into the Federation and we need Reeksa Root if we can't find a viable substitute here, Starfleet Medical will do it's best but we could lose thousands of lives before then you know that we don't have a lot of time with that virus"

"But it takes six and a half months just to get there"

"But if you give them the properties of the root they might be able to synthesis it here and help that much sooner unless synthesizing does something but it's worth a shot, but they need the information on the root first, plus everything else that's needed to make a cure"

"Understood, we'll send that information right away Sentinel, and let's hope that a cure can be made quickly for the Federation"

"Copy that Sentinel Portland out"

Well they get underway again and six and a half months later they finally reach Coruscant where the Romulans start to undergo testing at the temple to see what was causing their abilities to go haywire and they soon got the answers they were looking for

"You know now that I'm seeing these test results the situation that happened on Romulus makes perfect sense, I mean with these hormone levels it's no wonder they lost control over the Force, the problem is the fact that the Vulcans don't have the same problem even with their pon farr every seven years, I should know T'vran recently went through one"

"You know it almost seems as if these hormonal changes aren't natural and if that's the case then it's no wonder they're having issues controlling other aspects of their lives"

"Looks like we're going to have to bring those hormone levels down before they regain control and then it's up to the Federation to figure out whose tampering with the Romulans"

"On top of the Blue Shadow Virus issue?"

"Oh didn't they tell you that they found the solution five months ago?"

"Oh yeah they did now that I think about it and soon after that they also found a plant substitute which will work should it ever pop up again because it turns out that it is very hard to synthesize the Reeksa Root and make it viable for the cure"

"Good to know, now then on to helping the Romulans regain their control"

It would take several specially designed treatments but eventually the Romulans were able to control their Force abilities and other biological issues once again, unfortunately by the time they were ready to return home Ashland was missing and presumed dead once again

"Captain Picard what happened?"

"An attack on the Senate three days ago"

"What was she doing there?"

"Taking over protection detail seeing as how one member was down with the flu"

_Three days earlier_

"Sentinel Portland I just got a call saying that one of the security detail members for our Federation Representative's is down, I want you to take over for that member"

"Understood Captain, what's wrong with the downed member?"

"Just a touch of the flu Sentinel he should be up and about by tomorrow considering the medicine he's been required to take today"

"You know as well as I do that the flu still takes a bit of time to recover from"

"Yes but the Republic has medicine that will keep him from making anyone else sick while he recovers and unfortunately he has to continue work because there aren't a lot of other people available"

"I understand but maybe the Jedi Council will help, and why are they under protection again?"

"Seems they've recently received more threats and they're being taken serious, but it's not only our representative's that are being threatened, there are others under special protection right now as well"

"Understood Captain, when will I be needing to report in?"

"As soon as you arrive at the Senate building"

"On my way sir"

She is teleported to the Senate building and reports in for protection detail

"Well Sentinel I have some meetings first and then the entire Senate is meeting over a recent bill that will either give more trade between the Republic and the Federation or keep things the same, besides we also need to discuss what items would be traded"

"Well then I will stand in the corner and simply observe unless there's trouble"

Ashland does indeed stay in the corner for several hours when they are signaled that the meeting was ready to start. When they headed to the meeting is when they ran into bounty hunters which meant a fight was on without provocation. Everyone followed the plan to the letter and while Ashland fought off the bounty hunters the rest of the security detail started getting the representative's to a safe room and also sounded the alarm that the Senate building had been breached. When that happened other security personnel started to activate their own plans of both building protection and also the protection of the Senators under threat or otherwise, the alarm also alerted the Jedi to the situation and they informed the  _Enterprise_  in turn and both started sending people to the Senate building to help deal with the bounty hunters. When reinforcements arrived however they were already too late, the bounty hunters had already decided that if they couldn't grab their targets they would simply kill as many people as possible and detonated the bombs causing confusion and panic. By the time calm and order were restored enough to start searching for survivors the bounty hunters were gone but that didn't matter to anyone and while searching Riker found a vital discovery to both Starfleet and the Jedi

"Captain over here"

Several people go over to Riker's position and he holds out Ashland's lightsaber and commbadge both heavily damaged, however they would never find her body and would be forced to presume that she had been killed and turned to ashes but they had to officially declare her as missing until they had further proof of her death

"We'll try and find her but for now she's officially MIA" (Missing in Action) "but presumed KIA" (Killed In Action)

Several Jedi jump down two flights of stairs to check out something and even though Starfleet was now pretty much used to Jedi abilities after a good three years or more they were still sometimes in awe of just how much more capable they were and how easily it was for them to fall farther without getting themselves hurt seriously

_Present_

"We'll have people continue looking for her body but we don't have much hope of it ever being found"

"We're ready to go home Captain, all but one of us"

"I presume they want to get Jedi training first"

"Yes, through the accelerated plan the Council made when the Federation and Republic first connected to each other"

"How will you explain this to his family?"

"We all talked about that possibility before we left the planet Captain, we can tell them the truth"

"Very well then we'd best be saying our goodbyes, though I am leaving some of my officers here until things are more stable"

"Who ordered that?"

"No one, I gave those orders right after it became obvious that Ashland was most likely dead, and after that I contacted Command requesting a replacement group which was approved"

"Very well Captain, shall we get going then?"

"We shall, Picard to  _Enterprise_  seven to beam up"

Those leaving were teleported out of there and were soon on their way home. While that was going on no one realized that Ashland had been captured by the bounty hunters three days earlier and was now their prisoner on their way to Nar Shaddaa more commonly known as the Smuggler's Moon, she was also weaponless and had a very painful Force inhibitor on her at the moment because they knew she was a Jedi and was dangerous even without her weapons

"Once we reach Nar Shaddaa we will make sure to find a way that you will never be found, but trust me even if I don't kill you someone else will"

"Oh just you wait, I will get myself out of this situation and then return to the Republic, I won't be a prisoner forever"

"Ah but you see you've been declared missing but presumed dead and I have the proof right here"

Her captor enters a chip into a special port and she sees Picard and the Chancellor side by side

"People of the Senate as you know there was a most brutal attack on us yesterday afternoon and they were most likely after the Federation representative's. Due to the efforts of Sentinel Portland though they were unable to get their goal especially considering that she had no backup due to the plans made by the security group initially. We are still repairing the damage done in the explosion but we have identified all our dead and wounded...except one"

Picard takes over next

"Sentinel Portland is missing and presumed dead, having most likely been at the center of the explosion and we have proof of that"

With that Picard holds up her lightsaber and commbadge while the Chancellor holds up her torn cloak and phaser both of which had been found later that same day

"As you all know a Jedi is never without their lightsaber, at the same time unless so ordered a Starfleet Officer is never without their phaser if they assume they might be heading into trouble, she also would have kept her commbadge even damaged as a means to identify her and possibly try and fix it to contact the right people. As for the torn cloak Sentinel's have a uniform slightly separated from the rest of Starfleet because they are different, oh and she also doesn't have a commlink on her because of the fact that she would have been in range of the commbadge"

The transmission is ended but her captor just looks at her with a grin

"As you can see no one will come for you because no one thinks that you're alive and with that Force inhibitor on you, they can't sense you through the Force either, oh and I wouldn't try and take it off because it's designed to blow up if you try anything"

She's then left alone in her cell but unfortunately the bounty hunters didn't realize something even having heard it openly stated, she wasn't just a Jedi she was a Starfleet Officer and Starfleet Officers were trained to think no matter what the situation was, they were also trained in interrogation resistance and also in escape plans just in case something like this should happen. When she was left alone the bounty hunters didn't stay long enough to get a good look at her determined face because she was planning something and making alternate plans in case her main plan didn't work

"You know she was in a strange outfit, maybe we should keep a close eye on her in case she has had extra training that Jedi don't typically get, after all that one person declared her a Starfleet Officer"

"Don't worry, she's harmless without her weapons or the Force as for the uniform Jedi do work undercover sometimes and those clothes were part of it, that person was probably lying about her being one of them"

"Well hopefully we don't have any more problems"

They eventually reach Nar Shaddaa and Ashland is quickly put into another room that was essentially a cell while her captors discussed further what to do with her, unfortunately they were idiots not taking in the clothes she initially had on as more important than just simply clothes and the fact that Picard stated she was one of them (Ashland was forced to change clothes right before leaving the ship). She finally managed to get the cuffs off and also escape the room, once she reached an area that held ships she stowed away on one that she knew was headed into Republic space because while practically everyone on the planet were criminals some did have side ventures that were technically legal to cover their illicit businesses. While in hyperspace though she was discovered

"Well what do we have here? a stowaway"

"Look I'm just trying to get to Republic space, I don't care if you turn me in at the first place you stop off at as long as I can get at least to inside Republic space, but if necessary I will understand being in the Outer Rim and will figure out transport from there"

"We're taking you to Coruscant then, by the way let's get that collar off of you"

"Sorry but unless you want to kill everyone you can't take the collar off, it's set to blow up if tampered with trust me I've seen these devices before"

"Well then we're gonna have to change our plans we're selling you to the highest bidder on the nearest planet that accepts slaves, and I believe that is Tatooine"

So she is instead dropped of at Tatooine and is quickly bought. At her new "owner" home

"Okay first thing you should know is that I only bought you because you don't look like you belonged there, I don't normally buy slaves instead I do my best to hijack slave ships and free slaves, unfortunately I lost my ship almost three years ago due to gambling for parts I needed since my engines were damaged. I've set up a repair job as a means to make enough money to buy a ship but it's not easy and I think if you help I will get more work done faster and that ways we can both leave"

"Fine by me, but if that's the case can you get this blasted collar off of me without setting off the detonation device?"

"Sure, just let me scan the thing first so that I know the design"

"Let's hope that doesn't set it off"

Which actually it doesn't, and over the next two days her "master" looked over the schematics so that he could get the collar off of her which he finally succeeded at

"So now that you no longer have that collar on you who are you I can't keep calling you slave because technically you aren't one but I also can't keep calling you Jane"

"My name is Ashland Portland I'm a Sentinel in Starfleet, unfortunately due to bounty hunters several weeks ago I am now considered dead, killed in the defense of the Federation representative's"

"And no means to contact them to let them know otherwise huh?"

"Well maybe not, lately I've been thinking about another means of communication due to a special connection I have with another officer, but that is due to unique circumstances. If I meditate hard enough I might be able to reach a Jedi whose Force signature I know, however this technique is not guaranteed to work and we still might be forced to find another way to contact people who can help"

"Well we'll try it your way first and then after that we'll do things the old fashioned way"

Ashland goes into her meditation form and starts going deep into the Force and also her bond with T'vran to try and make contact with anyone she could and actually succeeds in touching the mind of a Jedi not that far away but before being able to truly make contact she was forced to end things because she was severely exhausted doing that

"Were you able to make contact?"

"Not...exactly...I...managed...to...feel...another Jedi's...mind but...couldn't maintain contact" (deep breath) "I know it works now but unfortunately for me it drains too much of my energy to do it constantly or for long, maybe with training and practice I might be able to reach further distances but right now it's just not possible, plus I may never be able to reach the distances I must even with the one person I have a bond to"

"What about the mind you touched?"

"Who knows they might have recognized my Force signature despite the very brief contact they might not have, plus they might have just thought they imagined it"

"Well looks like we're stuck doing things the old fashioned way then"

"Yep, what do you need help with?"

"For now, some beat up droids but who knows what I will get next so let's start getting to work, before we really get busy"

"Got it boss"

The two of them started to get to work while the Jedi she touched minds with finishes their mission and on the way home starts to meditate what they had very briefly felt two months earlier


	30. Chapter 30

"What exactly were you that I felt, a Jedi in trouble or just a quick minor disturbance in the Force?"

The Jedi meditates and soon gets their answer because they managed to touch Ashland's mind while she was meditating, but that was only because Ashland was pushing herself knowing she didn't have much of a chance but she felt she had to try again having already been on Tatooine for two months, and Ashland manages to get a message out this time though it was very brief and would cost her three days energy she felt it would be worth it

*Portland...alive...Tatooine*

The connection is cut right after that, Ashland passing out and the Jedi opening their eyes very shocked and not quite believing what had just happened

"I think it best I contact the Council about this"

The Jedi contacts the Council and reports the contact with their mind but are told that it would have to wait until they were in front of the Council because of the nature of the situation. Three days later both groups were talking to their respective leaders. With Ashland on Tatooine

"Portland what exactly caused you to pass out for three whole days?"

"I managed to make contact with that Jedi again and this time managed to get out a short message, hopefully by now they are in front of the Jedi Council and relaying my need for help and the fact that I'm alive, and I'm sure once they get here they might be able to help you out too depending on the situation, in the meantime though I think it best that we continue work to hopefully manage to make enough money to either get off this planet or at least be able to make contact with the right people"

"Let's get to it then because we have a large order to complete"

"Right, have I mentioned just how much I hate large orders  _especially_  when I have to hide the fact that I'm a Jedi?"

"Plenty of times Portland, plenty of times"

"Well best get started then"

While Ashland was working in the shop the Jedi was indeed in front of the Jedi Council relaying both the long mission and the brief touch in their mind

"Now then what exactly did that presence say when it made contact with your mind?"

"Portland, alive, Tatooine, those exact words Master Skywalker"

Luke touches the mind of the Jedi and senses only the truth he also tries to sense the situation through the Force and gets the feeling that Ashland was alive through that as well

"She is alive, but how and why did we not know until now?"

"Who knows Master Skywalker, but I think for now we should send a rescue unit to Tatooine and get Portland back where she belongs, in Republic space"

"Yes, though she won't have any weapons on her, she'll at least be at one of her homes"

"So we go and pick her up and bring her home, fine but what about the Federation?"

"Don't worry we'll tell them ourselves, besides we need to give them a progress report about something we're doing for them"

Three days after that they land on the outskirts of Mos Eisley which is where Ashland and her employer actually worked and they quickly found her through detecting her Force signature

"Just a minute, I'll be right out to help you, hey boss we have some more clients"

She comes out and instantly recognizes them as fellow Jedi and her boss soon follows her out

"How may I help you?"

"Actually we're not exactly here to have some repairs done we're actually here for your comrade"

"Ah I presume you're fellow Jedi then go right on ahead and take her home, I should be able to buy a ship and continue my slave freeing activities within the next two to three years"

"How long have you been stuck here?"

"Three years, I was attacked by pirates on my way to Naboo to do get some supplies for a common trade route I run whenever I'm not freeing slaves, was forced to land here and lost my ship gambling for the parts I needed to repair the ship, as it is I'm lucky I didn't lose my freedom"

"I think I remember hearing about that actually, you managed to get one message out before losing contact near here, it was presumed you that you were either dead or a slave but since that option was out you were never declared dead so that means you can easily get started up again after explaining things to the trade group you belong to"

"Works for me let me find people to sell my shop to and we'll get going"

Two hours later they were in hyperspace and headed back to Coruscant

"By the way Sentinel by now the Federation and more importantly Starfleet will know that you're alive I heard Master Skywalker talking to the right people to make contact with them as I was leaving"

"Good contact Starfleet Command directly I need to speak with them about something I heard while in town getting more supplies for the repair shop and yes I did buy the stuff"

She's quickly able to contact an Admiral in Starfleet

"Admiral this is Sentinel Portland, I need you to contact DS9,  _Voyager_ ,  _Enterprise_ ,  _Yoshimaru_ ,  _Melbourne_ , and any other ship that has Jedi serving aboard there vessel because there is a plan to attack those vessels by bounty hunters that have managed to get to the Federation, they will be in small, fast space craft, faster than shuttles and more maneuverable than X-Wings and don't ask me how that's possible because I have absolutely no idea"

"Understood Sentinel we'll inform them right away and hope that they haven't been attack yet, when did you hear this anyways?"

"About two days ago so you might be too late but let's hope they've delayed their attack hoping for the advantage that ways everyone will still be safe and alive"

"Copy that Sentinel Command out"

Communications are cut and two days later they finally arrived at Coruscant and landed at the Jedi temple where the Council was waiting for her with a new uniform for her, because years earlier when she had finally designed the new uniform for Starfleet Sentinel's they informed the Jedi Council about the uniform change and helped them by sending schematics and materials so that they could make spare uniforms in case something like what had happened to Ashland happened to any Sentinel that happened to be in the Republic and loses their uniform for whatever reason

"We have a spare room available for you while you wait for a pickup and of course as you can tell a new uniform for you, and don't worry the uniform is a recognized uniform for you because you are a Sentinel, and we've showed everyone the new uniform for Sentinel's just in case any had to come here"

"Good to know, now then I am going to clean up in my temporary quarters and then I think for the rest of the time unless otherwise told I will protect the Federation representative's because I don't know if they are still threatened or not and even then I think it best I stay with them in case of any hidden threats that we don't know of"

"Granted, but tomorrow, they aren't meeting today and let's face it you need to report to us and us to report to you what you've missed these past two months, not to mention you need to build a new lightsaber seeing as how your old one was damaged, somehow your phaser came through the explosion fine, but not the commbadge which also needs replaced"

"Fine, and just for your peace of mind I will go to the healers for a physical  _after_  I change out of these clothes that my captors forced on me"

She is brought to her temporary quarters and eventually gets checked out by the healer and is given a clean bill of health, though they did notice nutrition levels were down a bit but considering the situation she had been in it was only natural. A few days later after she replaced all the damaged items she had to she went to the Senate and informed the Federation representative's that she would stay with them until it was time for her to return home which they gladly accepted because they were still in need of protection and the Starfleet officers left behind were exhausted and needing a slight break

"By the way Portland we're glad to know that you're still alive, but what happened? the Jedi Council couldn't tell us"

"Well as all of you know I was fighting the bounty hunters when the explosion happened where I was  _supposed_  to be, however at the very last moment I managed to sense the bomb was about to be detonated and managed to get away from the main blast in time. The problem came afterwords, I didn't get far enough away to avoid being blasted into a wall and unconscious and thus injured and unable to do anything I was taken captive. When I got to Nar Shaddaa I managed to escape fairly quickly but when I wound up on a ship that was headed to Coruscant their plans changed because of a Force inhibitor collar that was designed to blow if taken off incorrectly, thus how I wound up on Tatooine for a little over two months"

"You wound up on Tatooine? I'm surprised you weren't forced to be there for a long period of time"

"Same here I was bought by someone who actually does his best to free slaves whenever he isn't transporting cargo over the galaxy"

"That would do it then, so we have a Senate vote in about five minutes so let's get going"

"Agreed"

Unfortunately they were under attack yet again, the problem was these were smarter bounty hunters than the last group that tried to kill Portland so Ashland decided to reveal something she had never revealed before, something deemed so dangerous it was only practiced in secret and  _without_  authorization from the Admirals

"OK that's it, I have had it with pirates, bounty hunters and anyone looking for quick cash considering what I've been through these past few months. You. Are. Not. Getting. These. Representatives. I am only going to say that once and once only"

Suddenly she brings out her phaser seeing as how she already had out her lightsaber and  _danced_  and it was a dance that no one recognized as a fighting style but man was it effective, though very rough from what they could tell. Eventually though the bounty hunters were knocked out cold and taken into custody and Ashland put her weapons away


	31. Chapter 31

"Okay just what was that you were doing while protecting us?"

"Something that has been banned by Starfleet Command but I have used my own authority as a Sentinel to override their orders. I had a feeling that fighting style might be useful so in my spare time and in secret I practiced that form as often as I could, granted it's not perfected and definitely rough around the edges but I am getting closer to finishing that style almost every day"

"How do you think Starfleet will deal with you once they find out you disobeyed their orders?"

"Nothing considering ever since I was a cadet and had explained the Force I have been allowed to act on it whenever possible and thus I can't be punished. I will tell you the full story about the style's start later but I can tell you that I had a very good reason and am  _very_  glad that the worst that will ever happen to me or innocent bystanders is that we're knocked out for a few hours"

"Wait but can't the phasers be set to kill?"

"Yes but Starfleet and I agreed that any Sentinel that has to kill will kill with their lightsabers because we do  _try_  not to kill whenever possible, all Sentinel's have their phasers permanently locked on stun it's only the level that varies"

Finally they reach the Senate and vote on the matter they were supposed to and were also asked by the Chancellor if everyone was alright besides being a little shaken from the attack and Ashland is the one that answers that question

"Everyone is fine Chancellor, all attackers are either dead from deflected bolts or they are unconscious from phaser wounds"

"When did you switch to you phaser Sentinel?"

"I didn't, I used a unique style that has actually been banned by Starfleet Command and is currently only known by me"

"Sentinel Portland are you saying you disobeyed a direct order from your superior officers?"

"Yes, however they can't punish me due to the rules laid out from the beginning"

"I think Starfleet Command needs to hear about this, besides we need to request extra security because we've been getting threats lately from a rogue group calling themselves the True Dominion"

"Understood Chancellor"

So Starfleet is quickly called and informed of the situation and they quickly pledge help in the form of six starships

"There is one other matter that Sentinel Portland needs to speak with you about"

"Admirals I have been practicing and was forced to use what I will now be calling the Sentinel Defense even though you banned that style as too dangerous even at full stun back when I was still a cadet"

"Are you talking about where you combine the style of the Jedi with the simple point and shoot of a phaser? I thought you were told never to develop it further and that you were to forget about it"

"I know, and I actually would have if not for the fact that right after you declared that style too dangerous I had a vision, the same vision that started that style's development in the first place. I saw a battle where that style was our only hope, because when I first had that vision of bloody battle everyone was dying Starfleet and Jedi alike, including the Sentinel's. I saw things improving slightly with that fighting style fully developed but also loss because I listened and didn't develop the style any further than the initial stages. The Sentinel Defense is still not completed but once it is I am going to release a full training program where I help lead them in that style for all Sentinel's to learn and use"

(Sighs) "I see we have no other option then, very well but that style but be  _fully_  developed before you let anyone else use or try it is that understood?"

"Yes sir"

Communications are then cut and the Senate talks about a few other things but finally the representative's were back in their office to take care of paperwork and a few other things that couldn't be handled in Senate meetings. Over the next two weeks things were actually pretty calm and normal when suddenly during a meeting which the Jedi were required to be at all Jedi noticeably had their hands on their heads and some of them looked like they had a brief dizzy spell or headache, once they recovered all the Jedi were looking at one person, Sentinel Portland and she knew why too

"Sentinel Portland to Starfleet vessel respond...Sentinel Portland to Starfleet vessel respond...Starfleet vessel this is Sentinel Portland I am ordering you to respond  _immediately_...Portland to Starfleet vessel if you can hear me please respond...Chancellor contact Starfleet see if any vessel is supposed to be in the area at this time"

"Right away"

Starfleet was naturally wondering why the Republic was calling them back so soon but quickly got their answers through Portland

"Admiral Janeway was there any vessel near the Republic that you know of?"

"No, the nearest vessel is still about four months away, or at least it should be why?"

"The entire Jedi Order just felt the deaths of about a hundred people from Starfleet and as the only Sentinel available I can tell it's from a vessel"

"Understood Portland, we'll try and figure things out on our end, you stay put unless told otherwise"

"Copy that Admiral will obey orders"

Communications are cut and then from out of no where's they hear a voice talking to them, however Ashland is able to recognize that voice due to an incident shortly after she had been assigned to the  _Texas_  so wasn't completely surprised by what happened right after the voice was heard

"You people are so panicky when you think something goes wrong you need to lighten up"

And with those words and a flash of light a person just blinks into existence and Ashland is the one to speak up quite loudly in fact

"Q! I swear if this is one of your stupid games that you like to play on Starfleet personnel on occasion you are going to regret  _every single moment_  because I may have been holding back the last time I saw you but I assure you now that I am not holding back this time"

"Take it easy Starfleet and by the way when did the uniform change because this is so not you"

He snaps his fingers and Ashland's uniform changes to a mockery of both regular and Sentinel Starfleet uniforms at the same time which though she didn't want to Ashland had to admit it was impressive

"Now  _that's_  a uniform you can be proud of Ensign"

"Oh I'm not an Ensign anymore Q I am a First Junior Sentinel and I am telling you now if you have anything to do with the disappearance of that crew or if you continue to mock us you will regret it severely because I  _will_  report this to Starfleet and though we can't do a thing to hurt you physically there are other things we can do to make your existence miserable I promise you that"

He disappears in a flash but Ashland simply gathers the Force around her and waits for him to reappear which he does but she's ready for him

"I don't think you can do anything"

"Trust me I can"

With those words she holds out her hand and has him in a Force grip and when he tries to escape he finds that he can't and Ashland can  _feel_  his escape attempt failing too

"Well what do we have here? the Q Continuum has a weakness that no one knew about before, this should prove very interesting to Starfleet Command and also very helpful considering the fact that you and your kind simply annoy us and it's not very funny at times either. Now then tell me if you have any part in the disappearance of the crew and I will let you go, if you keep silent I will keep you here until I either get tired or you start begging to be let go of now which would you prefer"

"Like I would tell you anything"

Fifteen minutes later Q was still being suspended in mid air but not by Ashland, another Jedi had decided to take over for her seeing as how he could tell her emotions were starting to reek havoc on her control so he took over before she lost him, that's when Janeway called back

"Chancellor, Sentinel we have...what on Earth is Q doing there?"

"Don't know Admiral, he's not giving us any answers to anything we ask him, oh and by the way we found out something to our advantage about fifteen minutes ago"

"What would that be?"

"Jedi and most likely Sith can keep those from the Q Continuum in our reality, don't ask me how it works but it just does"

"I'll pass that along, now then we have news about that ship, it turns out the  _Virginia_  was headed to you guys to replace the officers Picard left behind when you were thought killed Portland and was about four month's away like reported but we've lost contact with them for now clear reasons, has Q admitted to anything Sentinel?"

"No sir, he's evaded all our questioning, then again there is one more thing we can try but it borders on illegal in Starfleet and the Federation still because it has yet to come to vote even after all these years after having revealed myself"

"What's your proposal?"

"A Force suggestion, but like I said it borders on illegal"

"Well I am calling for special circumstances in that regard seeing as how you're not in Federation space you can do what you need to get answers, just don't do anything that can be construed as torture or any of the darker sides of your abilities"

"Understood Admiral maybe you should watch to get an idea of how it works"

"Fine by me"

Ashland faces Q and with a wave of her hand speaks

"You will tell us about you're involvement with the  _Virginia_ "

and Q repeats what she said back because even though he was a powerful entity she used her most powerful Force suggestion she had

"I will tell you about my involvement with the  _Virginia_ "

"What did you do?"

"I made them disappear, they were being chased by foes they couldn't beat and you aren't supposed to face yet, I froze them in time until I knew they were safe"

"You will bring them back"

"I will bring them back"

"Good"

She stops the interrogation and Q stops being hazy and while he realized what had happened he also knew he had to keep his promise

"Just so you know, that might not work next time, but for now" (snaps his fingers) "I've brought back your ship they're just fine and headed here, now if you don't mind I need to warn the Continuum about you guys"

With that he disappears but they hear his voice one last time

"And next time we'll be better prepared for you and your abilities whatever you are"

"Call us Jedi Q and don't annoy us, we know we can stop you now"

"We will see"

Then they don't hear his voice anymore and the Senate talks about other issues that have cropped up because of Q's interruptions and other things that they simply needed to talk about

"Sentinel Portland, I think you should talk with your fellow Jedi about Q and the issues that could happen now that the Continuum knows about you guys"

"What about you though?"

"Don't worry I have the other Starfleet Officers protecting me and you know it I'll be fine without you for a day or longer, after all there have been times when I have requested Jedi protection but they all had their own missions and couldn't tell us when they could spare people"

"Okay then, just make sure that unless you are headed to your temporary residence you stay  _inside_  the Senate building, if you need anything send out runners is that understood?"

"But Portland..."

"That is an order Representative Collins is that understood?"

"Understood Sentinel"

"I will be telling the Starfleet Officers about my orders too and they know to obey me here in regards to the fact that I am always considered the senior officer in Republic space when we're talking about our Representative's safety besides all these threats are connected somehow I just can't tell you how"

"I just wish we weren't threatened so often"

"I know but things are the way they are"

"Be safe okay"

"Representative Collins, I'm a Jedi and a Starfleet Officer I don't think I fully know the meaning of the word safe considering both my jobs are potentially dangerous"

Ashland then goes to the Jedi temple where there was a meeting in place and Ashland gave a very thorough report on Q and what he and his race can do to a certain extent

"They are all called Q by the way and this  _particular_  Q seems to like playing jokes on us for whatever reason, though he also did put us on a trial of some sorts starting with Picard, last I heard the trial was ended but you never know with him. Now then we know our powers affect him but unfortunately they can and will try to counteract those effects next time they are up against Jedi though I wouldn't know how they would do that and quite frankly I don't even know if they can so we might as well simply all be on alert"

"Is he dangerous to us or anyone else?"

"I wouldn't say that exactly but he also doesn't exactly think of the consequences of his little games, at times he does help us through riddles but other times he really gets us into trouble, like the time he introduced us to the Borg way before we should have, the best advice I have for everyone which is in Federation files is to not trust anyone who claims to be part of the Q Continuum"

"Will they always appear in a flash of light?"

"Yes they do, don't ask me why because I have absolutely no idea but they do"

"Well at least we'll have some warning before they show up then"

"Not much, but any warning is better then none I guess"

"Oh one more thing you should know about Q and the Continuum, they technically can't do anything that would change the time line or anything like that but they are very powerful beings who can do whatever they want with the snap of their fingers and like I said our Q introduced us to the Borg pretty early so if it looks like they're about to do something..."

Ashland suddenly stops due to a sudden vision in her mind

_vision_

She was on Coruscant chasing someone when there was a sudden explosion and she quickly put on the Force inhibitor on to hide her Force signature and though she couldn't see the culprit's face she did see them in a bar later bragging

"I killed the Federation/Jedi officer known as Sentinel Portland"

There was cheering at that while she in the meantime went into deep hiding for safety

_present_

"Sorry as I was saying if it looks like they're about to do something use the Force to prevent movement as long as that still works anyhow"

"Understood Sentinel, now then how about you get some rest and you'll be allowed to return to your post tomorrow unless something comes up and we need you"

"Got it, let's hope we can get a lead on who's threatening the representative's soon though because everyone is getting a little tired of them"

Two days later there was yet another attack on the Senate building and this time Ashland would be perfectly fine and make it through without any injuries but the enemy did break windows and she managed to lose her lightsaber out of the window, but she still had her phaser and when she had an opportunity she back flipped out of the blaster bolts fire and called her weapon to her with the Force and gave the enemy a full powered stun which ended the fight quite nicely after all the jumping and fighting she had been doing earlier

"Well that settles things quite nicely I should say, but now I need to either replace my lightsaber with the spare I built or find mine"

A Jedi shows up at the window just then with her lightsaber in their hands

"Portland I think you dropped something"

She grabs her lightsaber with a nod of thanks

"The bounty hunter managed to blast it out of my hand through the window, it was a cheap shot that I wasn't expecting unfortunately"

"Got it"

She holsters her lightsaber and they get back to business when a month later with three months left for their pickup Ashland was informed of a bounty on her head being both a Jedi and Starfleet Officer

"This could get very dangerous Ashland, we'll do everything we can to keep you alive but unfortunately you do your best job protecting the Federation Representative's"

"I know, I'll do everything I can to keep both myself and everyone else safe, maybe we can draw him out somehow"

"I don't think so it's too dangerous"

"Well we'll figure out something but for now let's just do our jobs"

She heads to her temporary quarters and calls up a friend that she had made shortly before she left for Earth all those years ago and now that there was reliable communication still talked to on occasion


	32. Chapter 32

"Hey it's me, meet me up at the diner in five we need to talk"

Five minutes later she was at her favorite diner and table waiting for her friend who came in at exactly the right time

"So what's up?"

"Remember that little side job we met at shortly before I joined Starfleet?"

"You mean when you were about to head home and got captured by pirates and the only thing that saved you was the fact that I had stolen your lightsaber?"

"That one, remember you training me as a bounty hunter?"

"Hey I only did that as part of  _my_  job what are you asking for?"

"I'm calling in that bounty favor you presented to me after we escaped"

"Now wait a minute, a Jedi can't just go wondering around pretending to be a bounty hunter, and yes I know Obi-Wan Kenobi did that during the Clone Wars but that was an undercover assignment and he was pretending to be an already established bounty hunter to save 'Chancellor' Palpatine's life before he was busted as the Emperor he ruled as for the next twenty or so years"

"I know that but look while meeting the Council I had a vision of me going into deep hiding after an explosion a month ago and earlier today I found out that there's a bounty on my head, I'm going to have to fake my death but good and then go into hiding to keep myself alive and the best way to do that is to be a bounty hunter even though even they aren't all that safe, but at least the law will try to capture me instead of outright death unlike the other hunters"

(Sighs) "I don't like it but I will start the preparations for the favor that I  _do_  owe you, but you'd better come out of this mess alive am I understood?"

"Perfectly, and don't worry most likely when I feel the right opportunity I will allow myself to be arrested so that I can be known as alive again, you'll know when that happens trust me"

They both leave after paying for what they ordered and a few days later while she was with another Jedi team Ashland knew it was time to implement her plan because she was being targeted by a sniper. She would chase the person for a good bit and then the explosion happened and she timed it just right so that she put on her Force inhibitor at the same time as the explosion so that the Jedi would also believe her death, though there was one glitch in the plan which was that she was knocked over the side of the building (which fortunately didn't have anyone in the alley) and was forced to quickly grab onto a beam to prevent serious injury to herself. Once that was done she quickly got herself onto the ground and to her safe house where she could change into her bounty identity. Meanwhile the Jedi team she had been with went to where the explosion had occurred with both of them knowing that it involved Ashland somehow, sadly another thing Ashland couldn't count on was the Padawan finding her "remains" before her Master did

"Master, I think I found Sentinel Portland"

The Master came over and saw the burned remains of Ashland and he knew that she had died pretty fast due to her injuries and just how close she had been to the explosion

"Come Padawan, let us take her remains to the temple, where we can inform the Federation and give her a funeral of the Jedi"

"Yes Master, I am right behind you"

The two leave and report Ashland's death to the Jedi Council and the Federation, though Admiral Janeway did have to ask for confirmation

"Are you sure? I mean, she's been thought dead a few times now and every time we were wrong"

"She's dead Admiral, we felt her pass into the Force and she was too close to the explosion to survive"

"But she has the Force inhibitor on her at all times, that might be why you can't feel her"

"No Admiral, the Force inhibitor feels different we know that because we have asked her to put on the Force inhibitor in front of us and it feels different from a death, First Junior Sentinel Portland is dead"

"Very well I will inform her Captain then, you can take care of the details of her funeral since she did not leave any instructions regarding that"

"Understood Admiral"

So they give her a Jedi funeral, one which Ashland actually was able to watch because of her sneaking skills. After that Ashland took up bounty hunting and started off small because she knew that she would be picked up too quickly otherwise, so she worked smart and decided to work up the ranks in bounty hunting so that when she was ready she could reveal herself by botching up the mission. While that was happening eventually the Starfleet members left behind by Picard were picked up and allowed to go home while another team of Starfleet officers took over protecting the Representative's alongside the Jedi which was to be expected, but they noticed that the Jedi teams took their protectiveness to a new level not seen before. They didn't know that every Jedi vowed at Ashland's "funeral" to protect the Federation Representative's in Ashland's name, honoring her sacrifice the only way they could

"We will always do our best to keep you and the rest of the Representative's the Federation sends us safe, that is a promise, by the way thanks to that no good bounty hunter we might have a lead on the most recent threat to your safety, though it cost us one of our own"

"She did what she felt she had to do, you know that as do I, as a Betazed I can read minds and feel peoples emotions which here can be a bit overwhelming even with me being in full control. I felt her passing like you did and her last thoughts were that everyone else was safe for the moment and she was glad for that, and don't make a promise on Ashland's name she wouldn't want that"

"We know, but we feel it's the best way to honor her sacrifice"

"I understand and won't tell anyone else why you are so overprotective of us Representative's"

"Thank you"

Over the next two years the Jedi became very good at protecting the Representative's though they had yet to catch the culprits of the most recent threat. Meanwhile Ashland worked her way through the ranks of bounty hunting and was doing pretty good, but she knew that the time to reveal herself was coming though she wasn't quite sure when, but first she had to take care of another criminal wanted by Coruscant alive and they were offering a bounty on them so she was one of several who took up the challenge to catch him, and was currently a little stuck along with two other hunters who decided to team up with her because of just how dangerous this criminal was reported to be

"This was  _so_  not part of the plan"

"No kidding Sandra so how are we going to get out of this fine mess we've gotten ourselves into?"

"Not sure, Klomek you have any ideas?"

She hears a response in Huttese

*Not this time I don't, our target is smart*

"Mind translating that Sandra?"

"Sure Deke he says he doesn't have a clue, we have a smart target...for once"

"Great so we're just stuck here until someone finds us"

"Relax, I'll get us out because now that I've fully seen our surroundings I have an idea that just might work but you'll need to trust me"

"What's the plan?"

"Simple I'm going to shoot the lock, but first I need that pipe over there so that I can bend it to the right angle to make my plan work, and let's face it it might not so we're going to have to be careful and patient and think of a back up plan"

"Well why don't we try my blades first then because this steel has to be rusty"

"Fine we'll try your way first, why didn't you speak up before?"

"I wasn't paying attention to our surroundings either"

"That would do it"

Fortunately the blades did break the steel and they managed to eventually catch up to their target and all three of them working together captured him and brought him to the prison. A few days later would be when Ashland knew it was time to return because she was hired to kill a Senator which is something she just couldn't do. In her temporary apartment

"Well I never thought I would be returning home so soon but the time is right, it's been two years and the person who tried to kill me is dead themselves"

She grabs her right wrist which is where her Force inhibitor was due to her choice to have it on that wrist whenever possible

"I'm coming home guys, soon I'm coming home"

She prepares for her mission and a few days later when the Senator was giving a speech she aimed at the shoulder and fired, hitting the Senator but she was discovered pretty quickly and arrested

"I should have known better than to try and go above my league seeing as how I'm still new to bounty hunting, I won't fight but you can't take off the bracelet it's locked on and only I know the correct sequence to take it off"

"Fine we'll take you to prison for now"

"Fine, and by the way I want to talk to someone from the Jedi Council and Starfleet at some point"

"That can certainly be arranged"

A few hours later a Jedi Council member and two Starfleet Officers were in the interrogation room

"I heard you wanted to talk to us, why?"

"First off I need your word that you won't do anything rash in regards to my request"

"Fine what is it?"

"I need the use of my hands so that I can take something off, something that is hiding a huge part of me that I don't want to hide any longer"

"Very well but we'll be watching you carefully"

So she's given use of her hands and then goes for her right wrist, which makes the senior Starfleet Officer grab her wrist and demand an explanation

"Hey how did you get a Starfleet Force inhibitor?"

"Just a minute and you'll find out"

She frees her wrist from the grab and punches in the correct code to take off the Force inhibitor and the Jedi Council member gasps in shock at what he feels

"It can't be, I haven't felt this signature for two years, you  _can't_  be her"

"Oh but I am, First Junior Sentinel Portland at your service"

"You died in an explosion Portland, how do I know it's the real you?"

"Do a test on me that'll be the proof you need"

"Fine but until then you are staying in a cell"

"Fine I figured as much, though you can't deny my Force signature for very long"

"Forget the cell I have a means of testing her now"

The Starfleet Officer brings out a device that was new to Ashland but not to anyone else because of the fact that it had only been in use for one year but was already proving very effective and confirms her identity even though it was a little confusing at first seeing as how it had been discovered that retinal scans while not being able to be tricked also weren't exactly fool proof so instead they created a device that tested the blood samples of the person and no one could tamper with  _those_  devices so if the Dominion ever tried anything again no one could fake another person being a Founder

"It's her alright"

"Told you, by the way how's the Senator?"

"He's fine, a clean through and through, almost a flesh wound though"

"Darn I was hoping it would only be a flesh wound, I was aiming for the shoulder deliberately but was hoping that I wouldn't hit the main part of the shoulder, oh well at least since it was me that Senator is still alive instead of dead like the contractor wanted"

"True enough and I'm sure he'll understand your reasons once you meet him yourself after we vouch for you"

"Then let's get out of here, um but first I actually need to be dropped off some where's"

"What for?"

"I need my uniform, what I'm wearing is my bounty hunter outfit, my real outfit is where I was staying temporarily whenever I was on Coruscant waiting for the time I could return home"

"Okay tell us the address and we'll wait for you while you change"

"Works for me, oh wait you have to tell the guards that I'm free"

"Already taken care of, don't worry we have ways of explaining things without Force suggestions"

Fortunately they listened even though it did take some convincing and fifteen minutes later they were at Ashland's hideout where it only took her five minutes to ditch the bounty hunter outfit and put on her proper uniform


	33. Chapter 33

"Come on guys let's get home and then I have some  _major_  debriefing and explaining to do to both Starfleet and the Council, I am going to be in so much trouble from this it isn't even funny"

"You most definitely are in trouble because we have thought you  _dead_  for two years and now we find out that you were using your Force inhibitor, even though that feels different from what you've done"

"I know and all of that will be explained at the same time as when I report to Starfleet, because what I did is actually vital information for the rest of the Sentinel's currently serving in Starfleet"

"Fine let's get back to the temple then, while the Starfleet officers explain things to the Senator who I believe is currently with the Federation Representatives who have just arrived not two months ago"

"Ah a transfer recently happened then"

"Exactly Portland now then let's go to our destinations"

Ashland was quickly led to the Council chamber and boy was she ever in trouble for making everyone think she was dead for two years. Once Janeway was visible she got chewed out by the Admiral as well but once all the yelling was done she was allowed to explain things

"Sorry about that, but if the Council remembers during a report a month before I found out about the bounty on my head I suddenly stopped talking mid sentence, that was because of a Force vision which told me one way of protecting everyone and I took that route, I didn't tell anyone except someone who owed me a favor as a secondary means of protecting everyone because if everyone thought I was dead no one could potentially reveal otherwise and put themselves at risk for being taken and tortured to find my location"

"Well that explains part of your actions but how did you manage to fool even the Jedi Council into believing your death?, from what I hear from Picard T'vran locked himself in his grief for three weeks and after that simply acted like a drone, last I heard he was still like that"

"Simple if need be Jedi can modify their Force inhibitors to make it appear like they have passed onto the Force, I will transmit everything they will need should that ever be necessary, as for T'vran I didn't know that, it appears that there are limitations to our bond though the exact limit is still unknown"

"Understood, though it doesn't make sense"

"Wait, I get what you're saying I'm still blocking myself that's why I can't tell just a moment"

She fully opens the sibling/training bond they had and grabs her head in pain for a moment then centers herself again

"Okay I hope never to have to do that again, apparently they're still in the midst of a battle, don't know the enemy and he got injured, he'll know I'm alive again and will act a little weird until you can inform Picard of the fact that I'm alive"

"Understood, finish your report and then I'll work on contacting Picard to update him on the situation"

"Will do, I also have a Senator to talk to as well, a full written report will be available within twenty-four hours Sentinel Portland out"

"Janeway out"

So Ashland finishes her report to the Jedi Council and then along with two Starfleet officers she goes meet the Senator she attacked who was actually with the Federation representative's

"What's going on here? I thought my attacker was behind bars"

"About that, you remember when we said that there's special circumstances in regards to your attacker? I want you to listen to her before you make any rash move"

"Very well I will hear her out"

"Senator, I deliberately aimed for your shoulder hoping for a flesh wound but you moved at just the wrong moment and so I fully hit your shoulder. I am not a bounty hunter I am First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland, the same person who was supposedly killed two years ago"

"Senator it  _is_  her, we proved her identity with the device that Starfleet issued a year ago"

"Why did you make everyone think you were dead?"

"For everyone's safety, there was a bounty on my head and a month earlier I saw a vision that led me to my actions, I knew I would be attacked either way but I had a choice of either faking my death or possibly being killed for real, I chose to fake my death without any prior approval so that everyone could tell the truth that they truly believed I was dead if ever asked"

"And then you became a bounty hunter to keep an eye on your attacker and protect people if possible"

"Exactly I only chose bounties which wanted people alive, the reason I took yours was because I knew it was time for me to come home"

"I understand, and how were you going to explain my being alive when asked by your employer?"

"Oh I was actually planning on being caught, I was deliberately botching the mission so that I could come home after two long years"

"Ah so your employer will simply know that you've been caught and won't ask for explanations then"

"Exactly though how we're going to deal with my bounty hunter ID now I have no idea"

"We'll figure something out and I will help you, by the way how did you fool your fellow Jedi?"

"I modified my Force inhibitor which is standard equipment for all Starfleet Sentinel's no matter their rank, on the way here I returned the Force inhibitor to it's original programming and now when I put the inhibitor on I will not have access to the Force but no one will think me dead, more like a sudden void of a Force signature which is not natural but they will know I am still alive"

Suddenly though they hear an alarm which was not a good thing

"Senator, Representative's, if you would follow us we'll take you to the safe room"

They quickly leave the office with the two Starfleet officers covering the front while Ashland covered the back just like in the plans first made all those years ago because Jedi can sense danger a lot faster and so it made sense to cover the back where not many people look any where's but forward even in that position so since the Jedi had the Force they guarded the back because they could sense danger before any attack happened. On the way to the safe room there was indeed danger to their backs and Ashland quickly whipped out her lightsaber and deflected the blaster bolts. She ordered the others to continue on and be extra careful while she held them off with her lightsaber and phaser and she actually succeeds in keeping the attackers away from their targets. Fifteen minutes after the alarm sounded security personnel arrived and took them down

"We've already taken care of the rest of the intruders where are your representative's?"

"By now they should be in the safe room"

"Okay they will know that it's safe soon enough, we just alerted our people to the fact that we have captured the last of the intruders"

"Good, I'll go down as well so that they can confirm it with me too"

She does indeed confirm what the guards said and eventually returns to the Jedi temple where she started working on perfecting the unique style she had invented years ago but hadn't really had much of a chance to perfect it, unfortunately a Padawan got a bit too curious and managed to walk in on her private session and got stunned, at full power. Ashland immediately stopped her training and took the Padawan to the medical center and contacted the Padawan's Master

"I'm sorry, I was perfecting a unique fighting style for the Sentinel's of Starfleet and he just walked in on my training"

"It's okay I understand, I'm just glad that your phasers are permanently locked on stun"

"Yes, but he can still be injured from the stun blast depending on where he was hit and from what I could tell he was hit on the shoulder where there was no clothes protection"

"I understand, how is it going anyways?"

"Frustrating, you have to be very careful to not hit the lightsaber because it will stun you instead and you also have to be careful of where your lightsaber is because you can seriously injure yourself that ways as well, not to mention this hasn't even gotten to the test phase where we see if it works when there are other allies fighting with us and are unpredictable in their own ways"

"It will work, I recently had a vision or something showing me people fighting on a planet in this system and some of them were Sentinel's using your unique fighting style"

"That's what I needed to hear at the moment, thank you Master Kloonata for giving me encouragement just when I needed it most"

"Sentinel Portland, maybe part of the problem is that you're forcing the movements to work together, from what I understand using a phaser is quite different from using a lightsaber and there are seven different forms not to mention several stances and styles, maybe you should remember that you're developing something for both the phaser and lightsaber working together, combine the standard stance of the phaser with the forms and stances of the lightsaber, see what works and what doesn't. Do what Jedi Masters of the past did and create your own form, stance and style if you must, it will come to you and you will perfect it to the point that it can be used in combat and by the rest of the Sentinel's"

"Thank you Master Kloonata I will most certainly think about the advice you have given me, you may be right and I am limiting myself too much"

She goes back to the training room after making sure that the Padawan was indeed recovering and thought on what Master Kloonata told her and realized that she was right

"Okay if that's the case then I guess I'd better start from scratch again because otherwise this attempt at making a new means of fighting for the Sentinel's will never work"

She closes her eyes and first does things in the air, pretending she had her weapons on her, envisioning what she wanted to do and what it looked like in her mind. After a few hours of that she started off with just her lightsaber to make sure that what she was envisioning worked in the real world, once that was accomplished she did the same thing with her phaser. Once she was finally comfortable with both individually she combined the two groups slowly at first working her way towards combat speed. She stopped when she realized she had been up all night and she now needed some sleep but she was satisfied with her progress at the moment and very glad she didn't have any work to do for at least a week so she simply went to bed knowing that she could continue work after she woke up. She didn't know that in the early hours of the morning Master Luke Skywalker had observed Ashland working on her new style and having talked to Master Kloonata knew she was taking their advice and starting from scratch and actually doing pretty well from what he could tell, he also realized that what Ashland was doing would be unique to the Sentinel's that would serve in Starfleet both in the present and future and knew that soon she would be needing to take things to the next level and he would be waiting with volunteers for when that day came

"Soon Portland, I know that you'll be ready for the next level soon, and we'll be waiting for that day so that you can make sure it works relatively well when others are around you"

For several weeks after that Ashland continued to work out the flaws of the style and smoothed out the motions and finally went up against some of the training robots that were available and took care of them quite nicely and finally knew that all that was left was to field test the new style, but that meant going into a known active war zone but it was the last step she needed to prove it's effectiveness so she requested a meeting with the Council to request a mission

"You wished to speak with us?"

"Yes, as you know I have been working on a new fighting style for the Sentinel's of Starfleet and I think I finally have it finalized but to make sure it works in the field I need a mission where there is active fighting going on, I will of course make sure I am with a team"

"Granted, I was wondering how soon you were going to test that new fighting style and have some volunteers waiting for word that they can go on a mission with you and we have just the place too"

"Okay then let's get going"

So her fellow Jedi were informed they were needed on a mission and they were briefed on where they were needed and they went. Soon they were actively fighting to get a cease fire going and it wasn't going that well so Ashland finally decided she'd had enough and used her unique fighting style that only Starfleet Sentinel's would be able to use and it was very effective, even when her fellow Jedi moved in a way she wasn't expecting she could easily compensate for that and the style just simply flowed through her no matter what happened. Eventually they managed to stop the fighting long enough to gain a cease fire and the two groups actually talking to each other

"Maybe now you can stop fighting and start working together to rebuild what this war has destroyed"

They eventually were able to leave the planet in a semi-stable condition and head back home to Coruscant which was actually where a new Federation vessel was waiting for Ashland

"So it looks like your new style works"

"Yes it most certainly does and I will be recording it in the holodeck for the rest of the Sentinel's to learn from and will also inform Command that the style is now complete"

"Indeed, by the way there's a ship waiting for you when we get back"

"Understood, do you know if I have transfer orders or are they just a ride home?"

"We don't know anything other than they're going to pick you up"

"Understood"

They eventually arrived back at Coruscant and there was indeed a Federation starship there

"Are we in range to contact them?"

"Yes why?"

"Because that means we're in range of their teleporters and seeing as how I have already sent my mission report to the Council I can simply go home on that ship"

"Okay then let's do it"


	34. Chapter 34

Comms are quickly set up between the two vessels

"This is Sentinel Portland to unknown Federation Vessel I am on standby to be picked up"

"Sentinel Portland this is Captain Klomas of the  _USS SAVAGER_ , she is a new ship which is why you've never heard of her before and we are about to teleport you to the ship please have the ship you are on stay still so that it will be a smooth transition"

So the ship stops and Ashland soon ends up on the new vessel and when she sees the Captain and a few Admirals she knew that this was the crew that she would be with when the one vision happened

"Sentinel Portland requesting permission to come aboard Captain"

"Permission granted Sentinel, and by the way you have some explaining to do"

"I know, how new is this ship?"

"Just commissioned when we came to Republic space, this was actually our first mission"

"Okay and why are there Admirals on board this ship?, no offense sirs but you normally stay on earth"

"We know, the reason is because there were some matters that only an Admiral can discuss with the Chancellor so since I was available I volunteered and the others wanted to visit Republic space to understand our allies better"

"I understand sir"

"Now then, after you get some rest you are going to explain where you've been these past two years while we've thought you dead"

"Well I have two words for you in regards to that question, though it will garner more questions and a full update after I get some rest"

"Oh and what exactly are the two words that explain where you've been"

"Bounty hunting"

"Bounty...I never thought a Jedi would stoop to something so low"

"Yeah well I had my reasons behind that choice which I will explain in a full report a little later"

"Um what's a bounty hunter?"

"People who kill, or capture, someone for profit, they're technically legal or illegal depending on the situation and where you are but they are never acknowledged for working for a government precisely because of their questionable legality. I have heard that even other bounty hunters will take you down, either that or steal your bounty depending on several different factors"

"Some of what you've heard is greatly exaggerated but a lot of it is the truth, and like I said what I've been doing these past two years and my reasons will all be in my report, oh and by the way Sentinel's Defense is fully functioning and I will be recording it in the holodeck so that others can learn from the hologram if they too are Sentinel's"

"Never thought you would complete that and make it work"

"Well it does, and it might be handy in the future so it's a good thing I disobeyed your orders and then with your permission perfected the thing"

"Get some rest Portland, and then I want a full report so that I understand your decision to be a bounty hunter which still doesn't make sense for a Jedi to pretend to be one"

"Don't worry, you'll understand once I write my report"

A few hours later both the Captain and Admirals read Ashland's report which fully explains why she became a bounty hunter in the first place and realize that it really was the only option she had to hide in plain sight after having a bounty put on her real identity, though she admitted that she probably could have done something else there was risk of people being injured and that was something she wasn't going to allow if she could avoid it

"I just don't understand one thing about Portland's decision"

"What's that Captain?"

"Why didn't she immediately return after the bounty hunter who was supposed kill her was killed themselves later that year?"

"I think only she can answer those questions"

Ashland finished recording the unique style and then reported to the bridge to find out where she was to be temporarily stationed which was the helm or engineering depending on the day and the situation going on with the ship at any given point

"Understood Captain"

Six and a half months later she was back in Federation space but before she could return to the  _Enterprise_  the ship was asked to make contact with a new planet that had made contact with them first, and when she saw the people on the viewscreen Ashland knew that what had happened in her dream sequence was about to happen, but she also knew better than to say anything because while what she dreamed  _could_  happen, she also had a feeling from the Force to wait until absolutely necessary, that not all was what it seemed. She was actually chosen to be part of the away mission which she expected, once down there she found out exactly why she didn't have her lightsaber

"You need to give us your cylindrical device now please"

"Fine, just don't mess with it" (thinks) " _at least now I know why I don't have my weapon in the dream_ "

"But Sentinel that's your..."

"I know it is Captain, just trust me will you?"

"Fine, I'll trust you for now, I get the feeling something is going on that I'm not aware of"

"Exactly, now then let's just start the mission and hope nothing happens because we could be in a boatload of trouble otherwise"

Everyone in the away team immediately got the message Ashland was telling them without out right saying something was up. In the middle of talks is when the attack happened and Ashland and the rest fought, they only had their phasers but they were actually pretty effective and both Ashland and the Captain both managed to allow people to escape but then the attackers took people hostage and they were forced to surrender. Once in the cell

"Okay Sentinel, what is going on here?"

"A few years ago I had a dream about this and knew that we would most likely be captured there's just one thing I didn't count on that I should have"

"What's that?"

"No matter what visions the Force gives us things can change without warning because the vision of the future is only a possibility"

"So what happens next?"

"I can't tell you because it's not a good thing necessarily, and besides I don't know if it will happen now so unless I tell you otherwise we have no clue what's going to happen next"

Several hours later a person came in with a gun and the Starfleet officers noticed Ashland stiffen slightly and knew something was up and the person pointed the gun at Ashland

"You're coming with me"

"Fine"

So she's separated from the group and taken to an interrogation room, and that's where everything changed, two of her guards attacked the others and started to push Ashland away from the interrogation room and towards a door that led away from the building and Ashland followed them figuring that something big was up and a few minutes later in an abandoned building she found out what it was

"Good thing you followed us without question, we're part of an underground resistance that has been in place since an assassination attempt on our planet's leader three months ago"

"What is going on here?"

So the people explained how the planet was divided between allying with other warp capable people and staying out of it and being self dependent still and how things had escalated to the current point

"Oh by the way we managed to steal this back as well"

The person hands Ashland back her lightsaber

"Great I need this, how did you infiltrate the enemy by the way?"

"It wasn't easy but we managed"

"Good thing because it's the only reason I'm alive right now, but what about my fellow officers?"

"We can't do anything right now but as far as we know they won't kill them immediately"

"Understood, by the way some of our people escaped in the initial attack do you know..."

"They're fine, at another base waiting for an opportunity to get you people back and help reestablish the proper government because several people of the government has asked for their help"

"Have you been told that we technically can't get involved because you're not part of the Federation?"

"Yes but what the insurgents don't know is that we secretly signed something that makes us part of the Federation, it was ratified several days ago"

"Okay then we can actually get involved, so what exactly are your plans and what have you done up to this point to stop those guys?"

Everything is explained and Ashland quickly starts helping out whenever possible, using her abilities as a Jedi to give everyone the upper hand. Eventually though things are back to normal for the planet and everyone is freed

"Looks like our work is done here"

"Yes, but now I need to figure out what I'm going to do from here on out, T'vran isn't answering any of my mental calls and quite frankly I don't even know if I still have a place on the  _Enterprise_ "

"We'll figure that out after we get back to Earth, let's face it this ship is in need of repairs and all of us need to be seen by Starfleet Medical especially you Portland, because we have no clue what you've been exposed to these past two years and from what I heard you never really got checked out by the Jedi Healers so that means you are to have a mandatory meeting with the doctors at Medical"

"I know and that's precisely why I didn't go to the healers on Coruscant, because I was definitely exposed to some things that only Medical can help with because we never know if other Starfleet officers might become exposed as well"

"Did you explain that to the Council?"

"No but that's because in my report I told them all the planets I had gone to and they knew that no other officer had been to those planets so naturally I would want Starfleet medics to check me out so that they can start preparing people in case they ever have to go to those planets while serving in Republic space for whatever reason"

"Did you also get samples just in case they are no longer in your system?"

"Oh yeah, right before I tried to kill the Senator I went back to those places and made sure to get the correct samples I needed, and then made sure they were properly preserved"

"Good then they will have everything they need to eventually counter-act whatever you were given while undercover"

"Exactly, though I will warn them that whenever a Jedi has access to the Force their bodies can and will act differently then the rest of the officers when exposed to foreign substances"

"Why is that exactly?"

"It's a natural resistance built up when you train in the Force, it's basically automatic Force healing unless of course you deliberately want to let the substance effect you, either that or it's potent enough to counter-act the healing a Jedi can do"

"Oh is  _that_  why we have reports of Starfleet Medical succeeding in keeping you under for long periods of time whenever you try to push yourself too soon according to them?"

"Yes, the first time was because it was very potent because they had seen me fight sedatives before, the rest of the time unless I am being very stubborn and not sleeping properly it's because I allow the substance to work on me because I know it's supposed to help. I actually had to do that every time the healers added a new medication that first year I was at the academy because those medications are so different from what the Jedi Healers use that my body would have fought every single inoculation I needed otherwise and I knew that was a bad idea"

"So you guys use a combination of healing techniques then?"

"Yes, Force Healing, Bacta patches, Bacta tanks, different types of medications, Healing trances each of these can be used individually and in different combinations depending on the situation and severity I know for a fact that I have had to have surgery at least once because my leg was that badly fractured"

"Then we will definitely be warning Medical about that, by the way you have official orders that just came in not fifteen minutes ago, though I'm not sure you're going to be to happy with them"

She looks at her orders and everyone could tell with just one look at her face that she was indeed not happy with said orders but then she just gives a sigh of resignation

"I understand Admiral, I will report to my new duty station as ordered unless something happens to either group before then, do you by any chance know of a ship or shuttle headed out that ways?"

"Actually yes I do, there's a shuttle leaving Starbase 12 in an hour if you hurry you can make it on time and start heading to your new duty station, maybe meet up on the way to your drop off point"

"One can only hope in that area"

She leaves the ship to head to her new duty station while the doctor on board the ship goes to Starfleet Medical and asks to see the head administrator about an important matter


	35. Chapter 35

"So what's going on?"

"Here, these need tested to come up with effective inoculations against as much of that as possible as fast as possible, and I am also to remind you that unless they are wearing Force inhibitors Jedi will react to those substances differently from the rest of Starfleet so take that into consideration when making said inoculations"

"Who told you to tell me all of this?"

"Sentinel Portland, and in this matter she's allowed to give us orders"

"True enough, seeing as how my people have already left for the day I will get them right on it first thing in the morning, Portland did good preserving these samples"

The next day the medical team got to work on the samples Ashland left while Ashland herself headed to her new post knowing it would take at least another day before arriving at the rendezvous area. She was meditating when she suddenly sensed danger and quickly left her quarters and headed to the nearest turbo lift, once on the lift she quickly headed to the bridge and moved the helmsman aside and punched in new coordinates faster than anyone but Data could possibly do and once that was done gave out a sigh of relief and then left the seat and faced the ships Captain

"Care to explain yourself Sentinel?"

"Certainly sir, I was just in meditation when I sensed danger, as it is I barely managed to avoid the attack in time, and yes I know we were in warp but they have a means of forcing us out of warp though I'm not entirely sure how"

"Understood Sentinel, is it safe to start heading back to our destination?"

"Yes it's fine we'll just be a little late to our rendezvous point, thankfully as far as I know the supplies you have to drop off and pick up aren't time critical supplies"

"Indeed it is a good thing now then I think you need to finish meditation while I need to continue running this ship without anymore interruptions hopefully"

"Indeed if not for the fact that the Force was most insistent I wouldn't be up here right now"

"Good thing it was though because we don't exactly have weapons to beat a big ship"

"Captain I've read the reports and I know that Sentinel Portland is unique but what exactly is a Jedi and why do they have so much power over everyone?"

"A Jedi is someone who serves something called the Force as good as possible and sometimes that means going against orders or extending them, the reason why they have so much power over us officers is because of that ability to listen to the Force, they can sense danger a lot faster than anyone else that we know of which is why they are to be in charge if no one else has higher equivalent authority or if they sense danger that we might not be aware of"

A newcomer to Starfleet was a bit confused

"Wait equivalent authority?"

"Yes as a First Junior I have the equivalent of a Lt. Commander and as such if something happens and there's no one that has a rank of Commander or above then I am in charge, even if someone has more time in that rank than the Sentinel"

"Okay, what about if there are two Sentinel's of the same rank? I want to know that because of the fact that while you were thought dead such a situation happened and while there doesn't seem to have been any confusion it could happen again"

"I know, which is why after we found out how we fit into the rank system I sent out a message stating that if such a situation ever happened then we would use seniority in rank to settle the matter and whoever has the longest time in rank will be the one in charge"

"Speaking of which I have a message from the Sentinel's for you"

She reads the message and quickly sends a reply to them acknowledging what they were saying and then leaves the bridge intent on finishing her mandatory meditation period and simply relaxing for the rest of the trip which she succeeds in

"Well we have supplies to pick up and you have a ship to wait for"

"It appears that they're the ones who are going to be late but considering they're last known location it's understandable, hopefully they won't be too late though"

Fortunately three hours after being dropped off the  _USS KOMATSU_ arrives and picks Portland up and she is met by the Commander who takes her to the bridge for her to meet the Captain

"First Junior Sentinel Portland reporting for duty sir"

"Welcome aboard Sentinel Portland you are to be stationed at the helm unless told otherwise by me and only me, I should let you know I don't believe in this Force you're talking about and I won't have anyone acting without proper authority even in an emergency"

"But sir Starfleet Command has ordered..."

"I don't care what Starfleet Command says about you or your fellow Sentinel's this is my ship and I am going to run it my way"

"Understood sir"

"By the way Sentinel from here on out I will be calling you by your equivalent rank instead of your proper rank due to my beliefs"

"Yes sir"

Ashland is escorted to her quarters where she quickly sets up a secure commlink with Starfleet Command knowing that they needed some vital information immediately, while she waited she wondered just how she was going to handle the situation until she got backup

"Sentinel Portland what can I do for you?"

"Admiral we have a problem"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes sir, the Captain in charge of the ship isn't the Captain sir, or at least it's not his normal state of mind, I think he might be under alien influence"

"What makes you say that?"

"The Force, I know that some Captain's are still struggling even after almost seven years or so but even those still struggling wouldn't deny your orders to let Sentinel's act as they see fit if required or call us by our equivalent rank instead of what we're supposed to be called. I can't confirm it seeing as how it's just a feeling in the Force but still..."

"I understand anything else I need to know?"

"Tell those at the academy to be on alert for any further trouble and extend meditations by another hour until ordered otherwise or unless they are in a situation that makes such orders impossible, I'll be alerting the other Sentinel's myself on our secure network"

"Understood Sentinel, may the Force be with you"

Communications are cut and Ashland passes on those orders to the rest of the Sentinel's who for the most part say that they will obey her orders but one argues with her and they quickly switch to Huttese for arguing

*I am giving you an order Freshman and I expect you to obey it*

*How many times do I have to tell you that it's simply not possible?*

*Why not?*

*I am under strict orders to limit access to the Force right now because of the fact that our new mission involves aliens who are scared of mind powers and since this is an extended mission  _and_  they are occasionally on board the ship, it's simply too dangerous right now for me to meditate even the mandatory period Starfleet gave us*

*I understand then, just be careful and if need be do Force inhibitor meditations instead*

*Will do First Junior, will do*

*Report back to me as soon as it's safe for you to do normal meditations seeing as how while you have been forced to not have access to the Force before you've never been in this type of situation so you don't know how to handle that type of meditation while I do*

*Talk to you then Freshman out*

*First Junior out*

Communications end and Ashland starts adjusting to her new position when a few days later she was told to meet with most of the command team except the Captain in the Commander's quarters

"What's going on here?"

"It's pretty simple really, you know how you suddenly aren't allowed to do your job?"

"Yes I informed Command about it"

"Good because you're the only person who has secure comms no matter what and that's what needed right now"

"Commander are you telling me my suspicions are correct?"

"What suspicions?"

"Alien influence"

"It's either that or a very good imposter and it happened on our last mission, we've been monitored so closely that even this meeting is very dangerous"

"What about blood tests? I would think that after such a mission mandatory check up is required in fact as far as I know that's Starfleet policy"

"Yes, except he hasn't seen me and I can't force him unless he does something obvious that means he needs checked out, and no him not obeying isn't enough because even you know that there are still Captain's who can't really accept Jedi"

"I know, once I heard his orders and stance I have deliberately left my lightsaber here in my quarters in a secure location and I don't like it"

"You're also wearing the normal uniform and you look uncomfortable in it"

"I am I feel naked without my weapon or cloak"

"We'll figure something out I just don't know what"

"Well hopefully Command will contact me soon and we'll get to the bottom of this"

"Let's hope so, in the meantime just deal with it as good as possible and I will be allowing you special holodeck time Sentinel and whenever I give you PADD orders they will have your proper rank"

"Commander I know you don't want to think about this but what about staging a coup?"

"No not unless lives are at risk I can't do that"

"I understand sir, and Commander I hope we get to the bottom of this soon, by the way was I requested before or after this most recent mission?"

"Before, you were actually requested a month after we found out you were alive"

"Okay then the request is legit and not something he'll be confused about once he's in his right mind"

"Well he will be if this guy is an imposter because we never quite knew when you would be arriving until after  _your_ most recent mission"

"That was not part of the plan"

"We know, by the way how have you been coping with your new crew?"

"It's been going pretty well so far, the hardest part is not having access to the Force because several people want examples of my abilities so that they can get an idea of what I can do if needed and yet I have to wear the Force inhibitor to obey the Captain"

"That's mostly good to hear and Portland we will find out what's wrong with the Captain but I need you to trust us to do our jobs properly so that we don't put anyone in danger"

"I know and I am willing to wait patiently it's just that it's really hard for me to keep calm right now because even without access to the Force I keep getting a bad feeling about all of this"

"Great that's not a good thing"

"So you've read Captain Picard's reports then"

"Indeed I have so I understand exactly what you're not saying"

"I need to do some sort of activity so for now I think I will go to the holodeck and do some regular self defense training because I can't do anything else and I need to vent my emotions in a safe manner"

"Question do all Jedi have emotional problems when they have to wear Force inhibitors?"

"Actually no, however this is not a normal situation now is it?"

"You have a point"

Several days later what Ashland was feeling even without access to the Force happened and they finally got the Captain to sickbay and finally learned why he was acting so odd because the day that Ashland met with the Commander she mentioned that they had been ordered by Starfleet Command to obey the Captain's orders as usual until they had proof he was under alien influence or it wasn't him


	36. Chapter 36

"How is he Doctor?"

" _He_  is not our Captain other than that he's in perfect health"

"Security to Sickbay" (turns to Portland) "Sentinel I have some very strict orders for you as I am now in charge of this ship until our true Captain returns. First you are to get yourself into uniform like I know you've been wanting to do since you arrive, then you are to go to the bridge and take the Conn until I finish in the ready room, when you get to the bridge you are to order the helmsman to return to our last mission location, once I am done in the ready room I need you by my side like Councilor Troi is for Picard now go"

"Yes sir"

Ashland quickly returns to her quarters and with a few modifications she was in her proper uniform and then headed to the bridge

"Lt. per the Commander's orders I have the Conn, helmsman we're returning to where your last mission was immediately"

"And just who are you to give  _us_ orders?"

"First Junior Sentinel Portland and I'm relaying the orders of the Commander"

"What about the Captain?"

(Snorts) "I wouldn't listen to that impostor if he was the last person on this ship"

Hearing the word impostor made everyone on the bridge react in anger as they realized they had been obeying orders that were most likely not legit unless they also came from the Commander

"Returning to our previous location aye"

"Sentinel I know you have been given your orders by the Commander but I am wondering if you would let me share command until the Commander is available, it's not that I don't trust you but you are still adapting to both the ship and the crew while I know everyone by name and rank and I also know their abilities should things turn sour"

"I understand and accept your help because you're right, I don't know how far I can push this ship and if something happens I don't know everyone's strength and weakness and that's not a good thing"

"Okay then you give the orders and I will back you up if need be"

"Well hopefully that won't be needed but just in case I am very glad you are here to help me out"

"By the way maybe at some point you can give us examples of your own abilities in a safe environment because I have heard you have special programs that have layered protections"

"Indeed I can...helmsman hard to port, tactical ready torpedoes"

Orders are quickly followed by the Lt. giving an order of their own

"Anderson to Engineering divert power from non critical systems to weapons and be prepared for core fluctuations until further notice"

He then turned to Portland to explain his supplemental orders

"If you do more than one task at a time the engine can get a little finicky if you don't siphon power from other areas, we think it's a design problem but that has never been proven so all we can do is make sure that we don't over do things and that we keep an eye on the engine and warp core"

"That ways if they say something's wrong you instantly know and can either compensate or take measures to prevent a core breach"

"You're learning, though it's also common sense"

"Indeed, by the way my sudden instructions are part of my abilities, we were about to be attacked and we still might especially once we drop out of warp as it is I have no clue as to our potential enemies strengths and weaknesses and quite frankly I should have asked for a report earlier"

"I'll get one for you immediately because you're right you do need to know the creeps that took our Captain away from us without even really noticing"

"Oh they will pay for that trust me but I also think..."

She suddenly grabbed her head in pain and then very quickly and suddenly put on a unique bracelet where she sighed in a mixture of frustration and relief

"And we now have an additional complication"

Just then the Commander finally came out of the ready room and heard her last comment

"What complication is that Sentinel Portland?"

"Sith artifacts, I am now much more vulnerable than before without the Force inhibitor so I am now not as effective as you would want me to be"

"Not good because I just finished my conversation with Starfleet Command and unfortunately we're on our own with this, not because they won't back us up but because they simply don't have the manpower to spare right now"

"What about Klingon, Cardassians or Romulans?"

"No good Portland things are too complicated in all those areas right now, they  _can't_  do anything to help us"

"Fine I'll keep the inhibitor on for now as I was saying though I also think that the Captain will not be fit for duty immediately because we don't know what he's been through during his captivity"

"You're right and we'll be ready for that, I still want you by my side though because even though you won't have access to the Force you are still very perceptive"

Ashland simply shows her wrist to alert the Commander to the fact that she was already wearing the inhibitor and then switches seats

"Commander is our prisoner secure?"

"Yes he is Sentinel and Starfleet commends you for obeying orders and being careful about what you did if you resisted orders"

"No problem I'm just glad that we found out and are going to get the real Captain, but what I wonder is why they have Sith artifacts because all of those should be in Republic space"

"Who knows but I highly doubt they know you're on this ship"

"You're right it's simply coincidence"

They eventually reach the planet they had unknowingly left their Captain on and as soon as communications were opened Ashland actually got some answers as to how the crew was tricked into believing the impostor until they had left the system

"Lockland, I should have known a Force user had a hand in this"

"Portland I'm surprised that you're part of this crew but sadly this isn't what you think it is"

"Oh really? I'm surprised you survived our last encounter considering where I left you, then again I barely survived that encounter myself so you must have gotten lucky"

*Portland this is a code Queen Amidala I repeat this is a code Queen Amidala, call the Council and they will explain more fully, and tell you're crew as well so that they understand why I did what I did*

*Anything else I should know?*

*Yes, the Federation is in danger from this group they are planning an attack but I don't know when, oh and tell the Council and Starfleet that the slavers are operating in Federation space and are spread all over the quadrants and are thus a lot harder to keep track of now, oh and tell the Senate that they have conspirators for slave trading*

*I understand Lockland, are you secure for now?*

*Yes I am no one knows the truth, and since we're the only ones who know this language I am still secure unless these creeps take the time to learn Huttese*

*Let's hope that never happens, at least now I know why you did what you did when we last met, but don't you think this assignment has gone a  _bit_  long without anyone knowing the truth unless absolutely necessary? I would think you could go home now*

*Sorry but it's a bit more complicated than that*

*Got it, by the way how have you been handling Sith artifacts?*

*Starfleet Force inhibitors via injections, yes I initially stole a sample and have been making it on my own ever since*

*You do what you have to do I think we should start talking in basic again*

*Good point*

"You won't survive our next encounter, now then we already know that you have our real Captain so I suggest you release him"

"Not happening Portland, besides I almost killed you last time this time I will finish the job if you try and free him"

"Except she's not alone, I am telling you the Federation's demands to free our Captain or we  _will_  make your lives miserable"

"Except as far as we know you're the only ship that can fight such a fight"

"That may or may not be true but either way we will be getting our Captain back"

"We will see Commander we will see"

Communications are then cut and the Commander called for a crew meeting with the command crew and Portland because he had a feeling that the private conversation was vital

Soon after they started the meeting they had a mostly developed plan and then the Commander spoke up again asking a vital question

"Portland anything else we should know?"

"Yes you are not to attack Lockland no matter what you may have heard or hear while down there"

"Why not I thought the two of you were enemies?"

"For a long while so did I but he called in a code Queen Amidala, which is a universal Jedi code meaning they are working undercover, it was named for Padme Amidala who at age fourteen was a Queen of Naboo when the Trade Federation used a blockade and she escaped by pretending to be one of her handmaidens and remained in that cover until she revealed herself to the Gungans"

"So the angry tone was just a cover after you switched back to English?"

"We call it basic but yes that's exactly what I'm telling you"

"Do we have to do anything special to keep his cover?"

"I actually don't know, but I think it's  _crucial_  he remain at his post, besides I have a few calls to make in regards to him and you should also know he's the reason you left the Captain behind"

"Jedi mind trick?"

"Exactly, but he most likely had his reasons and considering who he is he also most likely did his best to protect the Captain while doing whatever he had to to keep his cover"

"Understood, anything else you need to do before we raid the planet to free the Captain"

"Yes I need to speak with Starfleet Command immediately about a warning"

Command is quickly contacted

"What's going on Commander?"

"Actually it's Portland who needs to speak with you"

"Sirs we have an insider who told me to tell you that these aliens are planning an attack though we don't know when, oh and one more thing there are slavers operating all over the galaxy in the different quadrants let the Council know and tell the Senate that they have conspirators working with the slavers which in the Republic is quite illegal"

"Understood Sentinel I hope we meet this inside person some day"

"Same here though unless they know the truth people will consider him a traitor"

"Why's that?"

"He's deep undercover and has been for several years now"

"That would do it"

"Indeed I even fought him and thought him a traitor until today when he gave me a code that revealed the truth to me"

"Wait you have a code to reveal undercover agents?"

"Yes we have to do that because otherwise we might endanger their mission which is dangerous"

"How dangerous can it be?"

"Let's just say that I wasn't aware one time when I was newly knighted and blew a major operation and almost killed a fellow knight because I was unaware of them being undercover, as it is she was mad at me for a solid month and it took another two years for her to work with me willingly, the problem at that time was while we had a code I was never really in any position to receive it or if she had given it to me I never noticed"

"That's pretty dangerous, well in the meantime we'll pass on the message you need to pass on while you guys rescue your Captain"

"Copy that sir"

So they get an away team ready and debriefed

"No matter what happens you are not to endanger the cover of the one called Lockland, if you do have to deal with him make sure it's in a way to either deepen his cover or simply help maintain his cover but  _don't_  blow it, we don't know what these people will do to him if he falls under suspicion"

"Portland will he be going for the kill?"

"He'll make it seem like it but most likely he won't, so if you have to injure him make sure it's non lethal or at least isn't immediately lethal and he has a chance at making it to medical care"

"Understood, we'll help him because if he's a fellow Jedi undercover for as long as you've said he is it must be an important mission"

"It is, I may not know the mission but for him to fight and stay as long as he has than it is, oh and one more thing and my word is law on this, if you do anything to endanger him and I find out I will figure out a suitable punishment and you will have to serve it no matter what it is, the only limitation is that you will not be kicked out of Starfleet unless the Captain decides it's necessary"

"You can't do that you don't have that power"

"Oh but she does, originally it was only with weapons and later their special simulations were added but if you don't recall while Ashland was thought dead there were two Sentinel's serving on the same ship because of the special skills one of them had and a Lt. endangered one of the Sentinel's lives. After they were successfully rescued Starfleet added that if we endanger a Jedi's life, Sentinel or not then the Sentinel on board the ship that endangered said Jedi can punish the offender as they see fit up to but not including expulsion from Starfleet"

"Seems unfair that Sentinel's are getting more and more powers over us regular soldiers every year"

"Okay most of our authority was actually put in place while I was a cadet, I just couldn't act on that authority because I was not authorized to reveal myself at that time, the rest of the rules were established on an as needed basis and the only things added are the special Jedi simulations and the rules regarding endangering fellow Jedi as far as I know"

"Those are indeed the only recent additions as far as I know as well Sentinel Portland"

"Wait how did you manage to get your authority inserted so early if you couldn't use any of that authority in the first place?"

"Simple because once I explained the situation to Command they helped lay down the rules, including the mandatory meditation period, and  _that_  rule was because of a mental breakdown I had after the full situation had built up to a breaking point. Now then are we going to rescue our Captain or not?"


	37. Chapter 37

They head down and start fighting to free the Captain, and as it turned out both Ashland and another officer had to fight Lockland and it was the other officer who managed to solidify Lockland's place in the group by stunning him unconscious and seeing as how he had Ashland's phaser after she went blind and he lost his it was understandable...to everyone who knew about the locked phasers anyways, that and everyone had agreed to keep their phasers on stun for this mission. Finally though they made it to the real Captain and free him, once that was done they immediately left the area. In sickbay

"Sentinel do you have any injuries that need tending to?"

"Yep, they managed to blind me, how's the Captain?"

"Not good right now, but he will be okay, he's going to recover fully don't worry"

"Good and Lockland is solidified in his place for now, but I hope his mission can end soon and he's allowed to come home"

"He will be, I may not be a Jedi and I may not be Force sensitive but I just have a feeling that he'll be able to return home soon"

"Let's hope so because I have to say he's earned his rest"

"From what I have heard I agree with you, now then let's get your eyes treated, the Captain is resting right now anyways and you have duties on this ship to perform"

"I know, but for now I don't have that many seeing as how we haven't quite escaped from those creeps space yet"

"They might still follow us and you're the best pilot we have right now"

"Except until we're out of their space I need my Force inhibitor because otherwise I will be affected by Sith artifacts that our newest enemies managed to get their hands on"

"Forgot about that aspect, my bad"

"Indeed your bad but once we leave this space I can take the inhibitor off and go full force in my abilities which is just fine by me I have missed being a full fledged Sentinel"

"Don't worry you'll be able to take that inhibitor off soon enough and then you'll be able to be yourself"

"Yes and I want to know when the Captain awakes Doctor, it's not an order but I have yet to meet the real Captain and I would like to meet my real commanding officer as soon as it's possible"

"Don't worry you will, in fact we have him in a bacta tank right now because of some of his injuries and he'll stay there for twenty-four hours and then we'll take him out to let him finish healing"

"Once my eyes are better can I see him real quick?"

"Sure after all I'm still actually new to that equipment so I would appreciate a second opinion"

Once Ashland's eyes are repaired she goes over to the tank to simply touch it as a means of making a sort of connection

"Oh Captain"

As soon as she touched the bacta tank she got a surprise she wasn't expecting her new Captain was Force sensitive

"Doctor did you draw any blood when he came in?"

"Yes why?"

"Can I see the sample real quick I need to check on something"

She's given the sample and Ashland does the special test and isn't completely surprised by the results

"Well looks like the Captain and I have some things to talk about once he's awake"

Two days later Ashland was actually in sickbay for a wrist injury when she saw the Captain wake up

"Doctor, Captain Frost's awake"

Once the Doctor finishes with the Captain Ashland goes into his line of sight

"Who are you and what are you doing on my ship?"

"First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland sir, I arrived shortly after your last mission when you were captured"

"I see,so the transfer orders came in as soon as you returned to Federation space"

"Yes sir but I had another mission first, and while your entire crew knew something was wrong I was the only one who could raise the alarm with Command, we rescued you almost two days ago"

"I see, about my captors one of them..."

"I know sir, he's actually a Jedi deep undercover right now and while he had to do things to you to keep his cover he would have also made sure to do things to help you, like Force healing while hitting you"

"I think I felt that, though I don't know how"

"I do sir, you're Force sensitive, enough in fact that if you wanted you could train to be a Jedi"

"No, I knew for the past three years that I was different and was a little suspicious that it was the Force and I decided years ago that if it was I didn't want to leave to become a Jedi"

"Will you at least allow me to train you in meditation techniques and how to hide your signature naturally even if it isn't as good as the Starfleet inhibitors?"

"Yes I will allow that because it might prove necessary in the future"

"Exactly sir, we'll have special sessions as soon as possible but for now...I think you still need some time to recover from your captivity"

"I agree and know that, but just so you know I have a special diary that I have made for the past three years which will explain why I became suspicious of me being Force sensitive, though I never formally went through the test to confirm that"

"Don't worry the diary will most likely be sufficient enough to explain your suspicions though I do have to know if you talked to any of the other Sentinel's"

"No I didn't, though I can't really explain why"

"Either way sir is there a special lock on that diary I need to know about?"

"Yes, type in alpha one and also use the Force and it should open, I just hope it's not keyed into my Force signature because otherwise it's locked"

"If it is keyed to your Force signature I'm sure that I'll find another means of getting access to that information, don't worry Captain I'll read your diary without needing you"

"Portland, I'm sorry I wasn't here when you finally arrived on the ship"

"It's okay Captain I understand, and quite frankly I think it's a good thing that the imposter didn't know anything other than the fact that I was coming on board and didn't fully know about my abilities, otherwise even with the secure channel I have with Command I might not have really been able to warn them of the fact that there was either an imposter or you were being controlled"

"Good thing too, but did you really think there was alien control over me?"

"I had to think of all the possibilities so yes for a time I did think that, but eventually we managed to get the impostor into sickbay and that's when the truth was revealed"

"And while you were being ordered around by the impostor I was being tortured and simply held captive though I do appreciate your undercover Jedi because he kept me alive half the time"

"And the other half of the time?"

"He either wasn't in the area or I guess he had no choice but to go along with the torture"

"Captain how bad was it the times he intervened?"

"He prevented me from being beaten beyond into unconsciousness as far as I know and like I said he used Force healing whenever he beat me and sometimes afterwords as well but not often and not a whole lot, the times he was there and didn't intervene it got pretty bad, in fact according to the medic one time I almost died it was that severe"

Ashland narrowed her eyes at that and then started talking in a language the Captain didn't understand

*I am  _so_  talking to Lockland after this to get a full report on what he had to do and couldn't do while undercover and then we're doing Force meditation together to help him with his emotions *

"Portland are you okay?"

"Yes Captain I'm fine, I'll go get your special diary and learn about you and your revelations of you potentially being Force sensitive"

She leaves sickbay and gets his special PADD with the diary and successfully opens it with her Force signature and once back in her quarters starts to read so that she could learn about him and how he reacted to the fact that he was Force sensitive. She couldn't get that far that day because soon after she got the diary her shift started and she was actually needed in engineering so that's where she went and afterwords she got a quick bite to eat and went to bed, grateful that she would have time the next day to get in some reading time. The next day after her early shift she continued reading and realized just how hard it had been for her new Captain to not only conceal the possibility of him being Force sensitive to the crew but also to Starfleet Command because he really didn't want to be forced into becoming a Jedi not knowing that Starfleet would never order him to do something like join Jedi training due to just how long training could be and also because unless absolutely necessary to help control Force powers most Force sensitives weren't trained without permission from either the parents or because of the current situation without the permission of the Force sensitive person themselves. He also talked in his diary's about the fear he sometimes had for his crew because of his uncontrolled Force visions and she knew that they were truly Force visions. Once she was finished reading a few days later she sent a message out to her fellow Sentinel's in Huttese to let them know that she was serving under a fellow Force sensitive who had decided not to undergo formal Jedi training but  _was_  allowing her to teach him a few necessary skills and that if they ever met up with them not to force the issue with the Captain because it was his choice. The next day on the bridge

"Portland, I have a message for you but I can't read it, can you look at it?"

She looks at it and is surprised to see that it was from Coruscant and in Huttese but when she looked at it she paled because of what was being said and she knew that it wasn't good

"Commander, when will the Captain be released for even limited duty?"

"Not for another two days according to the doctor why?"

"Because there are some major problems back home that I need to deal with, why they're sending it in Huttese is between the two groups but I  _can_ tell you that it is vital that I get back ASAP"

"Sorry Portland but we can't do that, and it's not because you're being vague, we just got an urgent message from an unidentified source requesting immediate help out of the area"

"Is the message audio?"

"Yes, and it's actually a combination of what you call basic and another language, how we understood what we could is  _because_  of the basic"

"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday to any Federation vessel I need help I am on what is known as Tartus IV and..." *Get back you creeps or I will kill you* "as I was saying and I am in need of immediate pickup I will have a means of letting you know who to teleport as well as explain..." *I am so done with these creeps but without weapons I am useless* "who I am in person but for now call me agent 12" *I also have a private message for any Sentinel hearing this my cover is blown and I can no longer work undercover let the Council know that slavery will have to continue for now and that Lockland is coming home via Starfleet if at all possible* "I will do my best to be alive when you arrive you have my frequency agent 12 signing off"

"We have no choice but to go there Portland"

"No kidding I know  _exactly_  what he was saying and you're right he needs our help more than what's going on in Republic space right now not to mention..."

She suddenly stops and then her eyes go wide

"Look let's just pick him up and you'll understand right now I'm needed in sickbay"

She leaves and heads to sickbay and when she got there she put the Captain into a Force hold knowing that he currently wasn't in his right mind and believed himself a captive still

"Stand down Captain you're on your ship!"

Eventually the Captain tired himself out and finally he actually  _looked_  at his surroundings and realized where he was

"Sentinel Portland what are you doing to me?"

"I am keeping you in a Force hold so that you didn't harm yourself or anyone else any further while you were confused and you  _were_  confused sir"

"I...I was back there being tortured I didn't realize they were my own people"

The doctor speaks up

"It's okay Captain we know that you weren't aware of your surroundings, I think it's now more important that you do joint meditations so that Portland can help you heal along with visits to the counselor you should be released for full duty soon enough"

"You're right now then seeing as how I'm still stuck here I need to know one thing what are we currently doing?"

"We are heading to Tartus IV to pick up someone who will for now be known as agent 12 per their request, hopefully we'll pick them up before we lose them, all available ships are heading there so maybe another ship will pick them up first but for now as far as we know we're the only ones who heard the mayday and are close enough to do something about it"

"Very well guess I can look forward to a fellow prisoner"

"Yes, and by the way you will recognize him as soon as you see him but for now I am keeping his identity secret for everyone's safety"

Two days later they were actually intercepted by a Romulan vessel who had rescued "agent 12" right before he had been killed


	38. Chapter 38

"He is still unconscious but he did say that any Sentinel will recognize his name"

"What name did he give"

"He said he was Jedi Knight John Lockland"

"He is, the mayday had Huttese which only Sentinel's know and he identified himself as such and his voice pattern matched, we'll take over his care now because we have a bacta tank and you do not and I have a feeling he needs bacta badly"

"Yes, he had severe burns, is still unconscious and isn't taking to our medicine very well"

"Not your fault and we will be taking care of him now, send him directly to sickbay so that he can receive immediate medical attention"

"Of course Sentinel"

Communications are cut and everyone on the bridge looked at Portland like she had some explaining to do which she knew from the beginning of the communique two days earlier

"It was him, apparently something happened to blow his cover and he had to escape and thus called out to the only people he knew could help, I don't know the full details but slavery is still a problem which the Council knows but there's not anything we can do for now so let's just let Lockland heal and then I will be taking charge over him while we figure out a way to get him back home"

"Well we could simply head to Republic space to deal with the problem that you were alerted to two days ago before the mayday"

"No we need more Sentinel's before we can deal with the problem in the Republic, unless you call all the other ships with Sentinel's on board so that we can rendezvous to pick them up and only we take everyone home to deal with the problem"

"That actually could work though it will take a few days to pick everyone up"

"Whatever works now then for now I am going back to sickbay unless ordered to stay at my post because I need confirmation that he'll be fine eventually"

"You have an hour then yes I want you back at the helm Sentinel, meanwhile send me a list of ships that have Sentinel's and I can explain the situation if they themselves don't know of it yet"

"Most likely they will and either there are messages on my computer I don't know of or on yours regarding rendezvous coordinates and who all is coming"

"Let's get to it then"

Ashland uses that hour in sickbay to good use, she first confirms it was indeed Lockland and she also sees that he was slowly healing and when she checked into it she found out he hadn't had time to enter a Healing trance and as such that combined with unfamiliar medicine was slowing down his healing so she did the only thing she could think of and put the Knight into a Healing trance which was reflected in the bio-sensors

"There now you will properly heal Jedi Knight John Lockland"

The doctor came in having gotten alert that his status had changed and noticed that the sensors were indicating a healing trance

"Did you put him into a Healing trance?"

"Yes I did, he needs the trance to help him properly heal, it's a combination of Romulan medicine and what he's been through for several years now, he needs some help to properly heal and I gave that to him by putting him into the trance. He won't wake up for at least another day he's that bad off"

"How long are you able to stay here?"

"I was given an hour and trust me I  _need_  that hour, after everything both of us have been through I need to make sure he'll eventually be okay and he needs a familiar Force signature near him so that if he  _does_  wake up before I am here he already knows he's in a safe location because most likely I wouldn't be using my abilities to help him heal if we weren't in a safe location"

"Wait that doesn't make sense though because according to the Captain Lockland was using Force healing whenever he was forced to torture the Captain"

"Except that Lockland knows my job and quite frankly unless absolutely required we don't usually force someone into a Healing trance if it isn't safe to do so"

"So that combined with the familiar Force signature will let him know he's safe?"

"Yes, due to the fact that all Jedi recognize when they've been put into a Healing trance when he comes out of it and realizes he was put down by a familiar Force signature he will know that he is safe no matter who he sees when he wakes up"

"But surely he'll be relieved to see Starfleet uniforms"

"Not necessarily, he has no idea if the people who picked him up know that he was deep undercover and as such can expect to be put in a secure location once he woke up until they could ascertain his loyalty, by feeling my Force signature in the trance he knows he's on a ship that knows he's friendly"

"Is it that hard for Jedi working undercover?"

"It can be yes and that's why whenever a code Queen Amidala is declared we respect the Jedi all the more and make sure to do everything in our power to make sure their mission is a success or if we can't help finish the investigation make sure that their position is even more secure, because most of the time they are all alone and everyone believes they've turned traitor"

"I understand, I will let you know when he wakes up if you aren't here yourself"

An hour later she was back on the bridge and everyone could see a difference in her demeanor, she was a lot more relaxed then when they had first received that emergency message which told them that not only did they have the right person but the person they had picked up would be okay with time to properly heal

"When will we be able to talk to Lockland to figure out what happened?"

"Not until at least the day after tomorrow, I put him into a Healing trance which will last at least a day because he needs this time to heal, in fact he couldn't go into the trance himself I had to put him into it which is  _not_  a good thing"

"I understand, no questioning the Jedi until you approve, though I will have the councilor there just to let him know there's someone he can talk to if he feels he needs it"

The Captain raises his hand to stop a protest before it started

"I know nothing about how a Jedi works while undercover but from what I understand he's been deep undercover for years with little to no contact with friendly forces and whenever he  _has_  been around allies he's had to fight them to keep cover. I know that most likely he will need major meditation sessions but he also might like to talk to someone who will be non judgmental and the councilor is exactly that kind of person"

"I understand"

Several days later they were at the rendezvous point and all the Sentinel's were headed to the Republic via Ashland's ship and all of them were also told about Lockland and how he had been undercover, Ashland told them this just in case they didn't receive the emergency communique from him which they did so it was actually unnecessary

"How is he anyways?"

"He visits the councilor on a daily basis and when he heard that you were coming for an emergency in Republic space he stated to come to his temporary quarters after shift and then we're heading to the holodeck for one of the meditation programs to do a joint meditation session"

"A much needed meditation according to him?"

"Yes, oh one more thing the Captain is Force sensitive and needs basic training so that will be something I will be doing in my spare time between the groups"

"No formal training?"

"No he doesn't want to become a Jedi but he understands that he needs T'vran type training"

"Okay we won't fight him on his choice and if you and he want we can also help his training"

"I'll ask, for now though I do have a shift to report to so let's get to your temporary quarters"

"Have you heard anything further from the Council or Senate Portland?"

"No which worries me, the situation might have worsened to the point where one ship might not be enough, if that's the case I will take charge of the ship and get us back as fast as possible, if you hear a code Clone Wars immediately make contact with Command, but only the person with the next highest rank after me"

"Right, by the way sorry about that surprise we sprung on you so soon after your return from 'death' it's just that we always felt that way even when we realized that if you had to fake your death you would be behind other people eventually"

"Well the thing is, I was promoted so quickly through the ranks shortly before all of the crazy things happened that it was decided that I would stay at my current rank until further notice"

"Is that why  _our_  promotions have been slow as well once we graduate?"

"Yes they don't want what happened to me to happen to you as well, that decision was made without my initial approval by the way but I understand where they are going"

"So do we actually, after we learned how fast you initially moved through the ranks we realized that we simply needed the time you never got so that we could properly adjust to our ranks and responsibilities before we were pushed to new ones before we were truly ready"

"Now come on I don't want to be late for shift, you will all be on the same deck so that if something happens we can..."

Suddenly the ship shook and the alarms sounded which got the group into action because they also heard teleportation noises

"Keep your lightsabers holstered for now, by the way if need be you can use the Sentinel Defense if you are fully trained in it"

There was a fight on all decks and it was crazy because there were flying enemies due to the Sentinel's going full out and several were killed by other officers until Ashland brought out the lightsaber

"Looks like I have no choice now time for the lightsaber"

She puts away her phaser and brings out her lightsaber and starts killing several of the enemy that were trying to kill them eventually forcing the enemy to retreat

"Now I can report to the bridge like I was  _supposed_  to before this attack happened"

The rest of her shift was routine and remained that way until finally they were almost in Republic space

"Sentinel Portland where are we going to once we reach Republic space?"

(Sighs heavily) "I believe we're supposed to report to Coruscant but considering the situation I'm not completely sure"

"And just what  _is_  the situation that requires all our Sentinel's to return to the Republic? I know for a fact that you've been hiding things, I've felt it during our joint meditation sessions"

"Commander do you remember my reaction to the message two days before we managed to save Lockland that was in Huttese?"

"Yes you paled and told me that it was urgent we went to Republic space, and two days later you modified the orders saying we needed more Sentinel's before coming here"

"That's because before the emergency message received by Lockland I knew that the others were also going to be headed to Republic space in their own ships but we decided on a rendezvous point after the mayday so that this ship could pick up one of our own first who really needed rescue. The message was from both the Council and the Senate alerting us to Jedi disappearing during their missions at an alarming rate and that we were needed to help in the search, there were also several deaths that due to both distance and the Council we didn't feel, there were also several attacks on the Senate including our Representative's however the Jedi managed to save them and they are currently staying at the Jedi Temple for their own safety"

"No wonder you paled at the news, this is some serious information isn't it?"

"Yes it is"

"They need you to have more Force energy don't they?"

"That's part of the reason, the other part is because of what I managed to do that one time I was believed dead, that has not happened before as far as the Council is aware so we think that combining our strength I might be able to do so again however on a much larger scale"

"Wait I think I remember that report how you somehow managed to make mental contact with a fellow Jedi that wasn't your former Master, it was brief but you succeeded"

"Yes though it cost me three days of work"

"Hey I never heard of him complaining you missing out three days"

"Yes, however he had a major repair job soon after I passed out and since he was late he missed out on a good bonus, as it is he was lucky he got paid his regular rate"

"So this time they want you to make contact with as many Jedi as possible without the backlash that comes with it"

"Exactly, and quite frankly we need to confirm as many Jedi as possible as alive since we are still not at the strength of the Old Republic"

"But just what exactly can you do Portland? I never really understood the report you gave to Starfleet Command after you returned"

"Due to my unique connection to T'vran I now have the ability to make a connection with anyone that is Force sensitive enough to be able to use that power, I have been practicing with permission on what are basically non Force sensitives but so far I haven't really had any luck. That connection will let me know who's alive and who's not, if not the exact location where they are at but hey knowing they're alive is a good start plus they will know that the Council is looking for them"

"But like previously stated we need as many Force sensitives as we can get so that Ashland doesn't have to deal with the backlash of such a technique"

They are alerted to an audio communication

"Sentinel's if you can hear me turn back to Federation space I repeat turn back to Federation space this is a code Clone Wars I repeat this is a code Clone Wars"

They hear the date that it was first initiated which was just the other day and Ashland quickly inputs the correct coordinates to get back to Federation space and also makes sure they were going the maximum speed as well

"Okay that changes things"

"No kidding, if there are any still alive they're most likely prisoners"

"Not to mention the fact that they'll be tortured or outright killed like the last time"

"Okay the last time was when the Empire got started and the Jedi were destroyed thanks to Order 66"

"Only two Jedi survived the last massacre and neither of them lived to see the end of the Empire"

"Yeah, Kenobi died facing Vader right when he started teaching Master Skywalker and Yoda died shortly before the final confrontation where the second death star was destroyed"

"So does anyone have an actual plan yet?"

The Sentinel's all look at each other and then look at Portland for direction

"Hey don't look at me I'm still doing my best to ensure we make it back to Federation space I haven't had time to think up a plan"

"Good point, how about we all meditate on this later and see if we can't come up with a plan from that"

They stay on high alert and there were a few times when Ashland started cursing in Huttese which surprised several Sentinel's who had known her before the mission to Starfleet and she had  _never_ cursed in any language before no matter how much it might have been needed

"Portland must be ticked if she's swearing"

"Something must be up that we can't sense"

"Sentinel's spread out to critical stations Sentinel Defense fully authorized if you've mastered it prepare for heavy resistance and also prepare to be knocked out, you  _do not_  leave your post until I  _personally_  come to you to let you know that you can stand down, Captain I need to be in charge until we get a certain distance because we are being chased and there might be Sith involved"

"Force inhibitors?"

"Not needed, they won't try that kind of stuff again"

"Understood, however I am going to get the battle bridge on standby just in case we need to separate"

"Copy that Captain, for now I need to get ready for possible attacks, Tactical keep weapons on standby and go to Yellow alert"

Everyone was hyper alert until finally Ashland said the words everyone had wanted to hear for the past three days


	39. Chapter 39

"Okay we can stand down now"

She ends Yellow alert and then went to each deck that had vital areas and personally told all the Sentinel's that they could stand down now

"When will you tell Starfleet about the current situation?"

"Tomorrow, I didn't dare make contact sooner if it wasn't an emergency because I wasn't sure if we wouldn't be hacked into that close to Republic space, all the Sentinel's knew and understood that which is why we made sure no one could make contact with Command"

"I don't like that but I understand where you're coming from and you will not be reprimanded for your actions after all if they did hack into our means of communication the enemy would have been alerted and we might not have made it out alive"

"That's exactly why I gave the order I did Captain, however now that we have that settled my shift is over and quite frankly I've had enough stress to last me a few days so I request some time off"

"Granted you have three days off, the same amount of time you were on alert and don't try and tell me you guys weren't on alert even in your sleep"

All of the Sentinel's looked at each other with the busted look on their faces

"You bet you're busted I have been learning about Sentinel's and quite frankly that ability is annoying because you push yourselves too hard when in that mode"

"Same as you Captain?"

"Actually no because even though I am Force sensitive thanks to your training I can manage all but the most urgent messages and even then I am woken up anyways so I don't worry about those things because I know my crew will alert me to emergencies when they pop up"

"He wins, for now though I'll get off the bridge since I am now officially off duty"

"Get out of here and only respond if you hear a Red alert"

"Yes sir"

The next three days were peaceful and Ashland had indeed informed Starfleet Command of the situation that the Republic now found itself in

"Would any of them have managed to escape before things fell apart?"

"No as it is we think the Council barely had time to send out the auto alert to turn back to Federation space, the collapse simply happened too quickly so we think it's another Emperor Palpatine situation only on a larger scale within the Senate"

"And all of this from a message stating that Jedi had started to disappear and they needed your expertise to try and find them"

"Exactly sir" (sighs heavily) "I think it best that we Sentinel's either report to our designated vessels or are assigned to the Academy so that we can start teaching fourth year cadets some things that will be needed if we are to liberate the Republic and that means liberating Coruscant"

"Wait we've been teaching them history ever since you revealed yourself to  _Texas_  several years ago how is that not enough?"

"Because what we made sure you taught was the overall history of both the New Republic and the New Jedi Order, if they're going to fight on these planets they need to know more about the planets then the history that they've been receiving"

"Okay you have a point let me know when you're closer to Federation space and we'll have the orders ready to go"

"Yes sir"

"And don't worry we'll succor Republic Refugees like they succored our refugees"

"I know"

Two months later after Ashland got off shift she received a pleasant communication that had been recorded a few hours earlier while she was on shift. It turned out that a few people  _had_  managed to escape Republic space but their spacecraft didn't have any means of communicating with anyone from the Federation so they had no clue when they wound up in Federation space until they crash landed on Bajor and woke up in one of their hospitals after which they requested to speak with the highest ranking Starfleet officer in the system so that they could then contact Starfleet Command since they were claiming to be Senators and Jedi amongst a few civilians

"We've dispatched the  _USS SARATOGA_  to pick them up and do some tests both to prove they are Jedi and other tests to prove their identity, thank goodness the Republic foresaw this as a possibility when the alliance was made after you were reunited with them, we'll contact you again once we have proof of their identities Starfleet Command out"

Ashland quickly relayed the good news to the rest of the Sentinel's and went to sleep, the next day she reported to her station after sending a quick update to the Captain so that he wouldn't bee too surprised about any new orders he received once he was finally on shift, because a few days earlier in an unrelated incident the Captain had been ordered by Starfleet to go to Cardassia once they got closer so as to help them get ready for a possible invasion from the Republic and when asked about those orders Ashland reminded him about the fact that two months earlier she had sent out a message about the situation in the Republic

_few days earlier_

"They probably waited until now since we're still pretty far to be very effective"

"Good point"

"As it is I don't know how effective we'll be when it comes to helping Cardassia with the possible invasion"

"I do, they don't exactly have the same access to Federation archives like we do, they may be allies on occasion but they are still their own people, the Klingon home world will also have to be warned but since they are closer another ship will help prepare them, and of course for Bajor they have DS9"

"Then why not send someone from their to help teach them?"

"Uh because as Sentinel's we are best suited to explain the potential enemy or enemies"

"You win"

_present_

"Portland do a systems check because it might just be me but I think we're slowing down a bit"

"Sorry Captain that's not your imagination, I did a systems check down in Engineering before I got some rest because I thought I felt a shift while going to my quarters and we are slowing down, the problem is it's happening so slowly I don't know the cause and it's barely perceptible but eventually we'll go to lower and lower warp speeds until we're at impulse and we'll slowly lose the impulse engines until we're at a dead stop basically drifting"

"Does the rest of Engineering know?"

"Oh yes I made sure of that they should be working on the problem now but even so it's going to take time to figure out a solution"

"Time we might not even have"

"I know but there's nothing more we can do, though I am doing minor compensations but eventually that won't work, do you wish for me to change to working in Engineering during my shift?"

"Yes, starting now actually I need everyone working around the clock to figure this problem out which means that even though I don't technically have the authority to order around the other Sentinel's I might send out a request"

"Actually they've been waiting on you to be able to do anything to help the rest of the crew since we had to do that quick retreat months ago and while not all of them are mechanically inclined they know how to follow directions and are quick learners"

"Then that's what we're going to do so that hopefully the rest of the Engineering crew won't burn themselves out trying to find the solution, now then get to your temporary post"

Ashland leaves the helm and goes down to Engineering and starts working on the troublesome problem. Over the next three days Sentinel's around the clock per their temporary orders helped to try and solve the problem with the engines and during Ashland's shift the solution was finally found, unfortunately it brought on another problem

"So who's going to tell the Captain?"

"As chief Engineer I will be the one to tell the Captain of the solution"

"Not without me Lt."

"Why should you be there?"

"Easy, because I am the only person to be able to offer a solution to the secondary problem created by the solution to fix the engines, though the solution to the secondary problem is a bit problematic itself due to the current shift schedule"

"Fine you win let's go"

They head to the observation lounge to discuss the problem with the engines

"So you think you have a solution"

"Yes Captain we do"

"What is it?"

"We do regular maintenance but unfortunately it turns out that the engines need at least thirty minutes of cool down time whenever we go to the Republic at the speeds we do to get there in six and a half months, it seems that in the planing of the new engines it was never taken into account that either side would be in trouble and the ship or ships would have to turn back so suddenly, the solution is to shut down the engine for those thirty minutes and then immediately return to warp, during those thirty minutes we'll start modifying the engines so that something like this will never happen again"

"Sir if we use this solution there's a different problem you need to think about and be aware of"

"Let me guess the fact that we are still possibly being followed by the enemy"

"Yes sir, that's exactly what I am talking about"

"What's the solution?"

"My people stay on high alert through a meditative state during those thirty minutes"

"Except we have a schedule problem don't we?, not to mention the schedules made for the rest of the Sentinel's is quite uneven due to the uneven numbers"

"Exactly sir, unfortunately we'll lose the engines if we keep going the way we are I can say that with certainty as Chief Engineer"

"I know Chief"

"Captain there's one more risk to the plan that I just realized"

"What is it Portland?"

"What we Sentinel's have to do is  _dangerous_  if you go with that plan, and it's not just because of the shift schedule, as you know I have a unique ability thanks to T'vran to connect with other Jedi in their minds without any sort of training bond what you don't know is that the type of meditation we will have to do to insure that everyone is safe will put an even greater strain on our body than that type of meditation because we will be connecting to people who aren't Force sensitive which means the connection will be much weaker, granted you have the ability to sense the Force but other people that we need to be connected with for this plan to work don't, to connect to non Force sensitives and be on the alert for potential enemies from great distances will strain us to our limits. You may have heard about how the Jedi sensed a disturbance on Naboo all the way on Coruscant shortly after the  _Texas_  arrived and that was because of the fact that what happened was huge, almost as huge as the destruction of Alderaan"

"You say that we'll only be out of warp for thirty minutes?"

"Yes sir"

(Sighs) "I have just one more question, have you thought of  _any_  other options other than the one you're presenting to me now?"

"Yes and all other options have failed"

"Then I guess we have no other choice, I will call all other Sentinel's to holodeck 2 so that they might be in a central location if there's any trouble during the half hour, I will let you guys know when we drop out of warp so that you don't start draining yourself before you should"

"Understood sir" (taps commbadge) "all Sentinel's report to holodeck 2 immediately"


	40. Chapter 40

The Sentinel's are quickly gathered and the situation explained to them and all of them understood the importance of what they were about to do and they did it, when they got the signal to start Ashland started by having all of them make a connection to her as a means of centralizing the focus in the Force, what they didn't know was that Ashland was also taking on most of the strain without the others permission because she knew that even with more Sentinel's there wouldn't be enough Force sensitives to counteract the exhaustion of connecting to non Force sensitives and keeping an eye on the surroundings at the same time. Half an hour later they heard from the Captain that they could stop their meditation now seeing as how Engineering managed to do what they could for the engines and they were on the move again and when they came out of meditation Ashland immediately collapsed and had to be taken to Sickbay where the Captain immediately went when he was told and was preempted by another Sentinel

"What happened here?"

"Don't ask, just don't even ask"

"Okay can I assume that it involves something Portland did?"

"Yes, and that's all we're telling you if you need to hear more the Doctor will be the one to answer all of your questions"

Two days later Ashland was officially declared in a coma and there were still about four and a half months before they were in Federation space, meanwhile the Captain had found out from both the doctor and eventually a few of the Sentinel's who realized that the doctor didn't have the full information needed to explain her current condition and why it happened

"So she deliberately lied to me about the group meditation?"

"Not exactly Captain, all of us were indeed feeling the effects of the meditation and what we had to do but Ashland took the worst of those effects onto herself, if she had been alone this type of meditation could have actually killed her, as it is she's wound up in a coma for two days already and we don't know when she'll come out of it"

"Why don't you Sentinel's know?"

"Simple we may be competent field medics we may even be able to sense a shift in her Force presence but we're not Jedi Healers and even they sometimes have trouble predicting an outcome of an injury"

"Very well, let's hope that she wakes up soon, in the meantime the shift schedule and assignments will remain so that you have something to do"

"Thanks Captain, I hope she wakes up before we get back to Federation space"

"Same here, same here"

Two weeks later Ashland did wake up having actually gone into a Healing trance a day after being declared in a coma because it turned out that she had strained herself to that point and it had actually been first her body and then the Force that put her and kept her into unconsciousness while her body healed from the stress of taking the majority of the strain each Sentinel felt from the unique meditation they had to do, unfortunately this time no one recognized the trance because her Force signature remained the same at all times because it was actually the Force that wanted people to believe she was in a coma because there was a danger coming that meant that at least one person needed to be mobile and unnoticed. Shortly after they were forced out of warp the people on board the  _Komatsu_  were all secured in their cargo holds all except for Ashland because the intruders were told that if she was moved she could possibly be killed but she woke up not three minutes before everyone was removed from Sickbay and once she was sure no one was around she quickly was on the move to take back the ship and continue their primary mission, unfortunately the Captain, Commander and the third person in the chain of command would all wind up in comas which meant there was a sudden power struggle, or at least there would have been if not for policies put in place in the early years of Ashland's learning experience at Starfleet Academy and then finally able to be implemented after she reveled herself to the  _Texas_  several years earlier

"So which of you Sentinel's is in charge?"

"Portland is because she's been in rank the longest, including the periods where she was thought dead"

"But that's only because of what the rest of you Sentinel's agreed upon without my knowledge or approval mister"

"Oh we know, but we also know that you'll be promoted sooner than the rest of us because of your constant actions for the better of Starfleet"

"We don't know when I'll be promoted or how, but for now you're right I am in command of this vessel so let's get back to warp and continue heading for Cardassia, Lt. Johnson I need you to man the bridge while I give Starfleet Command an update on our situation"

"Yes sir"

Ashland would wind up being on the line with Command for over an hour to discuss the mission particulars in case she wound up having to do the mission with Cardassia herself

"And in regards to the teaching situation for the cadets sir?"

"Don't worry some of you will be assigned to the academy when the time comes I promise, right now we're still actually working out a few kinks in those assignments"

"Understood sir, anything else before I sign off?"

"No, just a reinforcement that you're in charge until either one of them wakes up and is declared fit for duty by the doctor"

"Yes sir"

"And Ashland depending on the situation there might be more to this temporary promotion then you think, you see we were getting reports from the Jedi Council about when you were thought dead and decided to become a bounty hunter, they decided to count that as a long term undercover mission authorized through the Force and considering everything you did while undercover we at Starfleet Command have taken that into account and other times when you've been believed dead"

"You mean I'm up for a promotion again even after so little time in this rank officially serving under another Captain?"

"No, but you might be recommended to lead more away missions"

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because we're debating on whether or not the Academy mission should be considered an away mission or not and of course for Cardassia..."

"That is most definitely an away mission no matter how you put it" (sighs) "I understand sir and will record everything I need to so that hopefully the rightful Commanding officers get a full report when they wake up and are declared fit for duty"

"Understood First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland we'll be expecting regular updates"

"Understood sir, and the refugees you told me about two months ago?"

"They are who they claim to be, most of them will be taken to a safe location but the Jedi have insisted on helping us out even though they aren't Starfleet Officers"

"Then just have them teach the Academy students what they need to know about the planets they might be forced to fight on"

"That's not possible because for now they are in a very long debriefing period about how things went south so bad without anyone noticing anything until it was too late"

"Understood sir, but maybe you can suggest that afterwords depending on how far away we are once the debriefs are done"

"No problem Sentinel that was the plan from the beginning, we want bi-weekly updates"

"Yes sir, Portland out"

"Command out"

Ashland leaves the ready room and takes the Conn symbolizing that she was now in command of the vessel until further notice. This continued for another three months and everyone wondered if their commanding officers would ever wake up again, because it turned out that Bacta simply wasn't going to help this time

"How much longer until we're in Federation space again?"

"A month and a half and it will take at least another two weeks to get to Cardassia space from where we're entering"

"Okay who all has gotten a potential notice to temporarily serve at the academy before returning to your proper posts?"

"No one sir you know that though don't you?"

"No I've been swamped with reports lately and haven't been able to take care of much more than daily issues and regular reports"

"Why didn't you take a second when suggested?"

"No one else is qualified not even amongst the other Sentinel's"

They heard the turbolift open and everyone simply assumed it was a Lt. that Ashland had asked for not that long ago when they heard the voice

"You can stand down now Sentinel Portland, I've got watch"

Ashland quickly stood up in attention and looked at the Commander straight in the eye

"No sir, I am not allowed to do that until I get an all clear from the doctor"

Suddenly they got a call

"Doctor Hollden to bridge, have you by any chance seen a wayward Commander who just woke up from a three month coma while I was checking on another patient?"

"He's here Doctor and being escorted back to Sickbay as we speak"

She quickly signals an Ensign to escort the Commander back to Sickbay which he does easily especially because of the fact that the Commander was still weak and tired, Ashland didn't even have to use a Force suggestion to make him think about sleep

"Don't worry Commander I have things perfectly under control you're ship will still be here when you're ready for her but you need to recover from the coma first"

Two weeks later the Commander had been cleared for limited duty meaning he was stuck on the ship for more reasons then simply being the highest person in command that was awake, until he was fully cleared he wouldn't even be allowed to leave for dignitary meetings that were required to happen on the planet they were orbiting and Ashland was forced to be his second so that he didn't disobey orders and push himself too far

"All that's left is for the Captain to wake up"

"Yes and our mission to Cardassia will happen once we reach Federation space in about a month and Cardassia in another two weeks after we reach Federation space"

"So it's going to take a month and a half for us to reach or mission"

"Yes but at least you're awake now and can give the bi-weekly reports Command wants, though I already gave them a report not three hours ago"

That's exactly what happens and once they reach Federation space they find the  _Enterprise, Voyager,_ and  _Potomek_ waiting to take a few of the Sentinel's to Earth because while there were Jedi already there as refugees and could help explain the worlds the cadets might be fighting on once Starfleet got a little more organized and a little bit more information on the enemy they didn't know how to explain it in ways Starfleet Officers would understand them so a few of them went to Earth while the rest went to Cardassia which would turn out to be the best because Cardassia wanted to go fight pretty much immediately after hearing about the Republic enemies so the Sentinel's being there to help explain the enemy allowed for cooler heads to prevail

_On Cardassia_

"I still don't understand why anyone would do what has happened there"

"Not many do but things are the way they are because it's a crazy universe out there, look right now all I can tell you is that what we have to deal with isn't your average enemy, that's why  _if_ Cardassians are to go to Republic space then you will abide by our rules and keep most of your forces here in case of invasion from the Republic, though I wouldn't be surprised if there's a Rebel Alliance when we arrive made up of ordinary people and Jedi this time"

"Fine most of us will stay"

"Okay then now to explain a bit more about the planets you might be going to..."


	41. Chapter 41

_On Earth_

"Now then who can tell me what Hoth is like?"

A cadet raises her hand

"Hoth is an ice planet that is inhospitable due to how cold it can get at night which is only slightly better than the day time"

"Yes but if you've read Republic history then you know that the Rebel Alliance managed to make a base out of Hoth and lived there for a good bit of time before they were found by Vader and his Imperials so it is possible to live there but it's not easy"

"But that doesn't mean people will automatically go back to those places because things have changed since the days of the Empire"

"That's true, there might be more places that people are fighting back but they would be well hidden to keep themselves alive and even then several planets might not be willing to host rebels for the simple fact that they are afraid to be discovered allied with such people and have harsher punishments forced onto their subjects, some people that might decide to fight back may make a decision to temporarily pull a Kenobi or Yoda until they find out that the Federation has come back to help because from what I got from the message sent to the ship I was on no one had a chance to send out an emergency message to the Federation the fast way and had to use an emergency frequency not well known to anyone outside of the Council and much slower to send messages. If not for the fact that we were getting a Jedi home who had been on an undercover assignment for a very long time we might not have received that message for several more months because of the fact it was sent shortly before we arrived in Republic space so we should consider ourselves lucky because for the past six and a half months or so Starfleet has been preparing for such a mission but couldn't allow cadets to join without hearing from us about the planets you might be going to"

"How come the other officers haven't been subjected to the same lectures then?"

"Who says they haven't cadet? I know for a fact that First Junior Sentinel Portland gave descriptions of the planets in the Republic when she first arrived during the very long period of debriefs and that all Starfleet Officers have to access those files before going to Republic space, the reason why cadets aren't allowed to access those files is because of the fact that those files are on a need to know basis and secured with needing a certain level of security clearance so that people don't just go looking for information for fun, which means that only people ranked Lt. Commander or higher are allowed to access those files normally, and the only reason you fourth year cadets are hearing this information is because you will soon most likely be assigned as part of the attack force going to free the Republic, though you might not be it's still good for you to know this information in case you are suddenly assigned there"

"Fine but it will still take six and a half months to get there"

"We know which isn't something anyone is happy about but there's not much we can do about it and we can only hope there's a Rebel Alliance happening again to help the fight along but we can't be too sure about that"

The lecture continues and things settle down for the moment while on Cardassia things actually took a turn for the worse and the building Ashland and a few others were at was attacked, but Ashland and the others managed to escape because of their cloaks

"So who's the one to make the call this time?"

"Who knows but not here, not now it's too dangerous we could be monitored"

"Even with all the modifications made after you reconnected with the Republic Ashland?"

"Even with because all communications can be hacked if you know how"

"We are  _not_  faking our death, you've been thought dead far too often for comfort Ashland so we aren't doing it and that's final"

"Don't worry I wasn't planning on something that extreme, nope it's MIA for us, just until things settle down a little further"

"I hope you know what you're doing Portland because if this goes wrong I am so blaming you"

"And you'll have every right to blame me too"

"How long will we be missing?"

"Three days maybe longer depending on the atmosphere of the city"

"Got it, adjust as needed, and maybe find a way of communicating to key people secretly if need be"

"And what makes you think Cardassian communications aren't rigged to be hacked when trying to make contact with the outside world?"

"We don't but it's a whole lot safer than us trying when in a charged atmosphere or don't you remember that situation when you were a senior Padawan one year away from the Trials?"

(Winces) "I remember Johnson but if you recall things were already in a bad way when  _that_  happened in regards to the situation"

"Then we disagree because I was there you weren't we  _could_ have trusted the locals"

"When the government was suspect? I don't think so you're lucky there was a Jedi team nearby when it was needed"

"Look let's stop arguing and start getting to a secure location, good thing we have these Jedi like cloaks because otherwise we might be in big trouble being in Starfleet uniforms"

Three days later they were still considered missing because things were still extremely tense in the city so that meant all Sentinel's couldn't leave their secured location

"If this is the enemies doing when I get to the Republic I am  _so_  going to make them pay for this"

"Not if there's a Rebel Alliance who gets them first"

"We don't even know if people managed to escape and get to safe places to form resistances"

"We'll know once we return to Republic space don't worry we'll know"

"Well for now we need to start thinking about means of communicating to the government so that they can inform Starfleet that we're still alive and okay"

"Don't worry I think I know how to do that but I need the rest of you to stay here in case of any trouble is that understood?"

"Yes Portland it's understood"

"If I don't come back in three hours consider me compromised and prepare to move to a new secure location just in case they find a way to read my mind without my permission"

"Understood Portland, three hours"

Ashland quickly left with the hood of the cloak up disguising her general description with it off and of course the cloak also hid the obvious parts of the Starfleet uniform aka the commbadge she was wearing and went to a very little known location that had been set up during her academy years when she was visiting Cardassia as a means of observing if they were ready to talk about an alliance between Cardassia and the Federation. They hadn't been ready quite yet at that time but due to an incident while there the higher ups managed to find out about Ashland and after making them swear to secrecy about her abilities and explaining that only Starfleet Command was in the know they set up a secret location where Ashland could activate an emergency message for those in charge of Cardassia with instructions on how to deal with Starfleet, whether to reveal that she was alive or not depended on what the message stated when received, and had updated them to the fact that she would sign with her new designation of Sentinel whenever using the location

_Message_

All Sentinel's safe and in hiding, will make further contact once situation is more calm, alert Starfleet to our survival, will make contact once a week until safe to reveal ourselves Sentinel Portland

_End of message_

"There now at least Starfleet will know of our continued existence"

She hears the sounds of fighting and quickly leaves the area knowing that while there was most likely fighting in the area where she could communicate with the Cardassian government it was so deep underground that the actually equipment was safe from destruction. She made it back to the location that the rest of the Sentinel's were staying at with half an hour to spare

"Man people really don't like us right now do they?"

"No but part of that is because they don't understand why Starfleet is even here asking for their sons in the first place, they don't realize the danger they are in from the potential enemies that might come from Republic space, not like we do"

"So there's nothing we can do right now to help keep them calm is there?"

"No there isn't, by the way I have managed to make contact with the Cardassian government, it's a one way communication method though so if they need to get information to us they will have no choice but to simply search for us, either that or leave a message at the location that I use to communicate with them, I know what we did was a bad and seriously flawed idea but we didn't exactly take this situation into account when we first set it up"

Several days later things finally started to turn around for Starfleet presence mainly because the Cardassian government finally got things back under control telling their people that no matter what happened everything would turn alright in the end and that allying itself with Starfleet insured Cardassian survival because Cardassia just wasn't used to dealing with the threats like Starfleet was (Starfleet had made mandatory practices against Republic species on a regular basis once Ashland revealed herself to the  _Texas_ , the only thing they didn't and couldn't simulate was the environment of the different planets because they never asked Ashland to describe them except in vague generalities and they never asked anyone to expand the explanations later after the Republic and Federation became allies and several Jedi arrived to also train to be Sentinel's)

"Now then can we please contact the  _Komatsu_  so that they know they can pick us up for the next stage of Starfleet's plans?"

"Yes you can contact them openly now"

"Good, First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland seven to beam up"

Her team arrives back on the ship and is quickly informed that Starfleet's plan was working and that there was some mandatory training to be had in regards to the different environments they might be dealing with once back in Republic space


	42. Chapter 42

"Don't worry sir every Sentinel can handle the different environment's of the different planets a lot better than the rest of Starfleet so we won't need as much training as them but since it is mandatory we will comply with our orders"

The Sentinel's quickly re-adapt to the environments of the different Republic worlds and a month after they finished the mission with Cardassia which lasted three months in itself they started to head back to Republic space and Ashland was currently having a private conversation with Starfleet Command in her quarters about something that was on everyone's mind

"Is there any way for you to contact a Rebel Alliance if one is formed?"

"No there isn't as far as I know because they would be using equipment and technology that we gave them when the  _Texas_  first arrived"

"Okay then we'll simply have to do things the hard way"

"Yes we will but we still have five and a half months to go before we enter Republic space"

"Maybe we can try places that the Rebel Alliance was at before"

"Hoth and Yavin were both bested by the Empire and would be known to the new enemies depending on who it is but maybe it's for the best we try both locations first so that we have a starting point"

"There's also the possibility that things will be taken care of by the time you get there and all that will be left is the clean up"

(Shakes her head) "I think not Admiral I know you have a lot of optimism but unfortunately with the way things were phrased during the message we received it's highly likely that there will still be lots of fighting going on and we'll have to try and find any form of resistance there might be"

"Understood Portland, what about the rest of the ships with you?"

"Daily coordination so that everyone knows their jobs once we arrive in Republic space adjustments will be made as needed"

"What type of adjustments?"

"Force driven adjustments because each ship has at least one Sentinel on board the ship, and if the Force doesn't give us any specific direction we will of course obey the orders of our Captains and officers that are of higher rank"

"Oh like you do that so well"

"Hey whenever I am on board a ship I do indeed follow my orders unless prompted by the Force and my records should show that sir"

"I know I was just testing your reaction because of the fact that quite frankly I am considering making you Sentinel's a separate unit all to yourselves, kind of like how the Jedi are separate yet connected to the Senate at the same time"

"Sorry sir but that's not a very good idea mainly because you have no concept of just how hard it would be to coordinate between the two groups  _especially_  if we decide hiding is in our best option and do what other Jedi have done in the past which is hide our Force signature willingly, granted you would be able to find us through our life signs but other than that you would have no leads because we would also go off the grid in regards to communication as well"

"You've thought of everything haven't you?"

"Pretty much yes I have mainly because I  _have_  to think of everything being that I am the senior officer within the ranks of the Sentinel's both by your and their choices"

"Fine we'll go with your plan for now, but just in case we have Republic trouble of our own what should we expect from them if they land on our member planets?"

"For them to have a  _huge_  disadvantage because while they might read about the planets they can't use any means of acclimating to those environments unlike Starfleet where we have our holodecks and simulations to help us adapt safely"

"So basically use our knowledge of the planets to our advantage if invaded"

"Yes in fact I would suggest alerting each member planet to the possibility of being invaded and making sure they have a planetary defense on constant standby"

"Got it Portland we'll make sure that they're ready for trouble, keep adjusting your plans and make sure to find a way to get a message to us fast if need be"

"Understood Admiral Portland out"

"Command out"

Five and a half months later Ashland quickly knew and understood what she had to do as soon as she entered Republic space because she felt a sudden urge from the Force that was actually felt by all the Sentinel's as soon as they dropped out of warp

"Captain we need to go to Coruscant now"

"But that's at the heart of the Republic"

"Ensign I wouldn't talk if I were you"

"But Captain"

"No buts Ensign, Portland I have just one question for you do you want a fast approach or a slow one which is more obvious?"

"Fast approach combined with a little trickery, once we get there the away team will beam down at the Temple while the rest of you then head to Naboo, once there get as close to the swamp as possible and stay there, you'll be met by the NRA or the New Rebel Alliance soldiers led by a Jedi"

"Wait there are Jedi alive and free?"

"Yes it's hard to sense them because they are masking their signatures but I think they let themselves be sensed every so often so that allies can find them and join them in the fight, but don't quote me on that"

"What about the  _Potomek_? that ship has no Sentinel's"

"Hail them because I have an idea of where they need to go"

The  _Potomek_  quickly answers the hails

"Captain this is Sentinel Portland of the  _Komatsu_  speaking, I need you to head to Rattatak I don't fully understand why but I have a feeling you are needed there for an important reason"

"Understood Sentinel Portland we're on our way"

"Good  _Komatsu_  out"

The  _Komatsu_  heads to Coruscant and obeys Ashland's order and once they were inside the Temple Ashland quickly got the away team to follow her through the maze that was the damaged Jedi Temple avoiding any enemy patrols inside and outside the building, finally Ashland took them out of a little known exit and quickly led the team into the Underworld, but before they leave the building she gives them a quick lecture

"Whatever you do stay close to me and don't make any obvious moves that would oust you as having self defense training, and no brandishing weapons either it's way, way too dangerous, we'll be trying a few locations that I know of which might house a resistance but they might not. No talking about a resistance either lest the wrong person overhears you and gets us captured, I also will not trust anyone who asks you about fighting back because that might be a trick, basically let me do the talking, and whatever you do keep the cloaks on because we might not be in uniform but some people might know our faces and besides we're still wearing commbadges and our weapons which the cloaks hide, now let's go and remember...where we're going is dangerous so do your best to stay in pairs at the very least and also keep within eyesight of each other if you absolutely must split up"

They quickly reach the Underworld and the rest of the officers quickly understood why Ashland had given them the lecture she had, and for the next two hours they went to seven different locations where a resistance might have started to form when finally Ashland decides to stop for a lunch break and they go to what was essentially a bar and Ashland is the one to pay for the quick meal

"There are two more places my friends might have decided to stay for a bit if they were either kicked out of their home or they decided to simply see what it was like living without any family helping you"

They quickly leave not knowing they were being followed by an undercover Jedi and two other resistance members who were simply observing people for potential recruits and about fifteen minutes later Ashland and the team reach one of the last two hideouts that Ashland could think of when they were ambushed by the resistance with various weapons, though no lightsabers were out because of how dangerous being a Jedi currently was

"If you have any weapons on you I would suggest you surrender them now we're taking you to our leader and only we're allowed to have weapons in their presence"

"Okay we don't want any trouble, in fact if my suspicions are correct you're just the people we're looking for, so surrender the weapons guys"

The officers quickly surrender their phasers which no one not even the Jedi recognized (mainly because the Jedi was still a Youngling and wouldn't learn about the weapons for another two years) but when Ashland surrendered the lightsaber the Jedi quickly dropped their weapon and held it up with a demand

"Where did you get this weapon?"

"I will explain once we get to a more private location but I assure you that I did not steal the weapon"

"Bind their hands we will know the truth soon enough"

They are led to where the resistance currently was which was actually a new location that Ashland didn't know of mainly because it had been discovered while she had been away on Starfleet business

"Take off their hoods I want to see the faces of those searching for us"

As soon as the hoods are off the leader quickly takes off his own hood and Ashland is ecstatic to see them as is obvious by her tone of voice

"Master Loo'mata it's good to see you alive"

"As it is good to see you young Portland, tell me who are your companions?"

"They're part of my crew, my fellow Starfleet officers"

"Why so few?"

"I wanted to attract as little attention as possible Master and it's a good thing I did too considering just how many enemies are crawling around in  _our_  Temple"

"You have a valid point Portland, your weapons will be returned immediately but I must ask do we have your ship at our discretion?"

"No Master, as long as the Captain obeyed orders they should be on their way to Naboo by now"

"Understood Portland it is still good to have some more help especially considering the losses we've taken recently"

They start talking and planning because it turned out Ashland was right many planets were either secretly or overtly part of the NRA and they were doing their best to coordinate attacks for maximum efficiency in doing damage and rallying the people to not give us hope, but there were times when smaller separate attacks were made depending on the situation and one such situation was coming up on Coruscant pretty quickly

"Do you remember the annual festival that honored when Coruscant officially became the head of the Old Republic?"

"Yes but that's celebrated all over the Republic you know that Master"

"Do you remember the celebrations leading up to the festival though?"

"Oh I get it, it's a week long celebration on Coruscant only and the rest of the galaxy doesn't do any celebration until that day which means two speeches are given on Coruscant I think I get where you're going with this, but wouldn't things be worse with two attacks in one week instead of your usual amount of attacks?"

"That's the beauty of our coordination, we're going to attack at the start of the Coruscant celebration while the rest of them are going to attack on the day of the celebration as a statement that we will take them down no matter how long it takes us"

"Ah, I think where Master Loo'mata is going Sentinel Portland, it's kind of like that tactic we're taught in the Academy where you strike in one place and then don't do anything after the initial strike making the enemy nervous about when and what your next move is going to be"

"Oh I get it now, guess you're right, but we need to figure out who's going to do the attack because quite frankly Master Loo'mata you have too many people to successfully make such an attack, as it is I'm amazed you've remained hidden so far"

"Don't worry I've been going over such things for the past two weeks and I believe that I have my team but I think that we're going to make a small adjustment to the plan which involves your team, I want you guys in the crowd to help act as a security thing"

"Got it, things go foul we go into action, should we use other weapons than what we normally use?"

"Yes don't worry we'll provide the weapons you just worry about training them to use the weapons"

"Don't worry if you're giving us what I think you are the training will be very easy for them"

"OK yeah we're giving you blasters"

"Too bad there's no stun with those blasters if they're the type I'm thinking of"

"Actually there is a stun function"

"Good, though I will kill if necessary I prefer stunning them"

"We know it is always better for to hurt then kill but Ashland, we have no choice right now"

"Understood, kill all the way"

"Exactly"

They continue planning and finally the day of the opening ceremony comes and everyone is in position when a big wrench is thrown into their plans


	43. Chapter 43

"People of Coruscant today we have a special treat for you, public execution of some of our enemies"

With that saying seven Jedi and two civilians were brought forth

"Meet the Jedi and their helpers who will be killed today for being an enemy of the state"

Meanwhile Ashland is quickly talking into the comm link that everyone had on them

"Does anyone have a plan B? because I am  _not_  letting those people die if I can help it"

"Don't worry we didn't expect this to happen but we have a contingency plan, just be ready for our exit to be a bit messier than originally planned"

"Got it"

Fortunately the plan did work and the prisoners were freed but it was indeed a bit messier than originally planned but finally everyone was back at base

"Well now that we're free we want to help fight and free Coruscant"

"Not now my fellow Jedi, the Rebel Alliance has plans, plans that must not be interrupted because that could be disastrous for all"

"He's right you know, I understand you might feel like it's your right to fight back to bring back peace and justice but it's just not feasible right now"

"We know Portland, by the way do you guys have a means of contacting the Federation from here?"

"No, is something wrong?"

"Yes, they recently sent out an invasion army to take over the Federation"

(Scoffs) "I'd like to see them try, the Federation is well prepared for any trouble that might head their way from Republic space"

"But Portland"

"No, Jedi, Sentinel Portland is correct she was communicating with Starfleet Command on a regular basis from what I heard plus the Sentinel's and refugee Jedi lectured at Starfleet Academy to fourth year Cadets about the potential enemies that might come from the Republic"

"Not to mention in my initial debriefs I made sure that everything I talked about was recorded and people with a certain security clearance or rank can access that information for others if need be and Starfleet Command or the President of the United Federation of Planets can declassify that information for Planetary defense forces for each of the member planets"

"Okay we'll stay put for now"

"Good now then we have food and places for you to get some sleep, then it's time we moved on from here because they'll be looking for us after what we did today, besides this place is getting to be too crowded we need a bigger space"

"Either that or spread out a bit more"

"Either way we need to move on from this location"

"Let's hope nothing else goes wrong this week especially on the day of the actual ceremony"

"Agreed"

_On Naboo_

The Captain obeyed Ashland's orders and quickly joined up with the Gungans temporarily while searching for the NRA and quickly found them because due to a unique celebration on Naboo they managed to save several lives and were quickly taken to the palace

"We of Naboo are part of the New Rebel Alliance, though only in secret. I am the head of the Naboo faction but I am also their Queen and as such cannot make many overt actions lest my people become endangered, as such any actions made are covert and small but they give our people hope when there is none to be had, plus not all of us are actually part of the Alliance through my choice to not make everyone suffer if we fail"

"We understand your highness but unfortunately we of Starfleet are accustomed to fighting and as such have no problems being in danger, as it is we are here on the orders of a technically speaking lower ranking officer who left very...vague instructions"

"Why do you obey the officer then if they are not of your rank?..."

"Captain I am the Captain of my ship and the reason why is because she is my Sentinel, my Jedi within Starfleet, there are still so few of them but whenever they act upon the Force all officers no matter what rank have to listen to them"

"Though you didn't exactly obey her orders to the letter Captain we were supposed to stay in the swamp until met by a Jedi"

"Yeah well considering that explosion I think she would understand why we disobeyed her orders and instead did our best to reach the Gungans before running out of oxygen"

"We're lucky they were already on the surface or near the surface and had room for us"

"Either way what's done is done"

The Queen actually laughs realizing just who they were now even with the ranks being said and even with him saying that he was a Starfleet officer she knew they could be lying just to get her to reveal where the rest of the group was located because on Naboo the NRA was split up into sectors so that if one sector was taken down then the rest would remain to fight even if the one taken down was the Queen there were several contingency plans regarding that and besides she never kept the locations of any meeting spots in the throne room

"Gentlemen I think I know who you're talking about, you see your ship was pretty obvious so I sent some of the resistance to meet you but unfortunately they were attacked because of how obvious your ship is, they all made it back but since it was too dangerous to do anything they could only hope that you managed to reach a place of safety which it appears that you did, now then I have something planned for a special Republic holiday in a few days and I think you can help me"

"Whatever you say your highness we'll obey your every order"

They quickly made plans for the celebration and finally the day came when they enacted those plans because while the Queen had been keeping her people safe, with the knowledge that there were Starfleet officers all over the galaxy she decided with the rest of her resistance leaders that it was time for Naboo to come out into the open about where their loyalties truly lied and to do so in a very public manner as well which of course meant the annual celebrations held every year around the galaxy

"No more hiding for Naboo everyone will be a target now but with Starfleet by our side I think we can handle anything"

"Indeed and besides there are many places that won't reveal themselves and still give you a strategic advantage whenever it comes time to strike at their ships"

"You're right Captain thank you for reminding me about that, but what about the fact that your ships are pretty obvious?"

"Simple they'll have kept themselves in the atmosphere if at all possible to keep themselves hidden, granted it's not something done very often but Starfleet does see the reason behind making sure that not just our shuttles can handle being in a planet's atmosphere and as far as I know they can't scan for enemy ships"

"That will be good to have an advantage like that, for now we must prepare to reveal ourselves"

So when it came time for the annual celebration Naboo came out of hiding and revealed that they were part of the Rebel Alliance. On Hoth and other planets the rest of the NRA started making preparations to fully defeat the enemy in overdrive due to the fact that with Naboo ousting themselves it would only be a matter of time before the rest of the galaxy suffered from that, those plans were especially made in overdrive and expanded whenever there was a Starfleet presence available. For the next six months the NRA struck whenever they felt it was a good opportunity on planets that were both ousted and not ousted and things were actually going pretty well seeing as how they hadn't lost any of their Jedi allies and very few of their fighters when everything changed on Coruscant

"Come on we have to take him down before he causes us more trouble"

"But why would a lone person interrupt the ceremony it doesn't make sense"

"Unless they are part of the group calling themselves the NRA"

"What does NRA even stand for anyways?"

"I think it stands for the New Rebel Alliance but don't quote me on that"

"Don't worry we won't, think we have a Jedi on our hands?"

"Don't know but the new standard procedure is to put the Force inhibitor collars on them in case they are so we put the collars on once they are taken down"

"Maybe we should wait to see if they lead us to the others"

"They're too smart for that besides we've been looking for them for over six months and we still haven't found their base of operations"

"Fine let's take them down"

Finally they took down the person who had interrupted the ceremony and found out it was actually a female who was still fighting them with everything they had but finally they managed to get the collar on the person and they stopped fighting, what they didn't know was that they had managed to capture Ashland Portland of Starfleet, though that wouldn't help in the long run considering that if she was captured or killed the rest of the Starfleet officers with her had their orders already given in the early days of them joining the Coruscant resistance. At the resistance base

"So where did you send Ashland anyways Master?"

"I sent her on a scouting/attack mission in regards to a celebration being held today all day, she should be back soon seeing as how I..."

Master Loo'mata suddenly grabs his head in pain and goes very still two minutes later he looks at the Starfleet officer in front of him and the officer suddenly gets a very bad feeling

"Master?"

"Get your fellow officers together...now"

Ten minutes later the Starfleet officers are all in front of Master Loo'mata

"I regret to inform you that Sentinel Portland has been killed, I don't know who killed her or how but I do know that she's dead"

"But what about Force inhibitors? I would think that you would know if she just has a Force inhibitor on her"

"Normally yes but I remember the last time she had a regular Force inhibitor on her plus I know the feeling of the Starfleet Force inhibitors when they aren't modified she's dead I'm sure of it"

"We understand, so then as senior officer I am enacting the plan we made in private shortly after we joined the group"

"What does that mean for the rest of the Alliance?"

"Not much really but there will be changes, no more solo missions for one and for another if we can't be partnered with a Jedi we will be partnered with the most experienced people within the resistance, either that or we go in groups and together"

"I can accept that after all I was thinking of changing those policies anyways but will have to ask the rest of the group first"

"Either way Starfleet policies will be changing for now in regards to this fight, at least on Coruscant"

Meanwhile with Ashland her captures had managed to keep her unconscious long enough to transport her to wherever they took their prisoners and threw her into a cell where she woke up and turned towards her captors

"You're staying here until you're executed rebel and don't think of doing anything, that collar on you doesn't just inhibit the Force if the person we catch is a Jedi it's also a shock collar to keep you under control until you either die from forced labor or we execute you"

Her captors leave her to ponder those words and she knew that she was effectively unable to do anything and she also quickly realized that she might be thought dead because she knew exactly what the Force inhibitor was doing because she had done that once with the Starfleet Force inhibitors

"So they got a new prisoner"

"Indeed and just who are you?"

"I don't have a name, not anymore but I used to be known as Asayla my only crime is being part of the New Rebel Alliance back in the early days before we managed to go underground"

"Well I know for a fact that efforts have scaled up since my people joined"

"And just who are your people?"

"Starfleet officers"

"That's actually going to be a big help in the end, how long has the effort been scaled up?"

"About six months now"

"So hopefully things will end soon"

"Yes and in the meantime I have one major report to prepare for and also explain that this time being thought dead is  _not_  my fault considering what this collar is doing to me as a Jedi"

"You're the first Jedi as far as I know of, at least they can't hear us except when they come into this area to patrol so let's stop talking about your unique abilities"

"Fine, good thing I've trained myself not to react to pain because these things  _hurt_  being who I am"

The next day Ashland starts her forced labor and for the next three years that's all they do because while the Federation occasionally sent support they couldn't do it often and those that did manage to get there were either quickly captured or the group that took over the Republic upped their forces in known or suspected Rebel Alliance areas which slowed down the Alliance a lot even with Starfleet's help. Finally though they had enough help to free the slave camp on Coruscant that they had found because that strike made on the anniversary of when the second death star was destroyed was actually the signal to finally take down the people that forced the Republic into this situation in the first place. When that day arrived there was chaos but also the slaves started to fight back for real when they realized what was happening and Ashland quickly started making use of the tool she had in her hand as a weapon and went for the shock collar control panel which she managed to reach and destroy, but she was blinded in the process

"You may have destroyed the collars control panel which means we can't hurt you with that but do you really think you can fight blind?"

"Actually yes I can"

And so she starts using the tool as a weapon against her attacker and  _won_  which surprised the slavers seeing as how they thought no one could fight blind but Ashland proved them wrong, eventually reaching the exit and leaving with the resistance. Several hours later she was in the Temple hearing reports from all over the galaxy that the Republic was free at last and a Starfleet vessel was heading towards Coruscant to pick up the few remaining Starfleet officers because they had received orders to come home, the Federation had experienced some fighting as well and they were needed to help in the clean up process. While they waited Ashland was taken to the healers who did everything they could for Ashland's eye sight and also took off the collar which is when they received a shock


	44. Chapter 44

"You're Force sensitive"

"Yes, where's Lt. Loland of Starfleet?"

"I'm right here why?"

"First Junior Ashland Portland reporting in after three years of being a slave"

"I have the device that can prove it on me"

So he uses the device and proves without a doubt that it was indeed Ashland

"I think once the ship arrives your eyesight should be fixed, but what were you thinking making us believe you dead for three years?"

"This time it was  _not_  my fault, the slavers collars were the ones at fault this time, and apparently I was the only Jedi there"

"Well at least you're alive, but you have a major report to make once you're back on the ship"

"Like the rest of you don't?"

"Actually no because even though we couldn't transmit any of our reports we wrote those down on a regular basis for when we finally  _were_  reunited with the crew"

"Fine you win"

"Yes I do, by the way they'll be here within seven hours so I would start on that very long report once you leave the medical facilities"

"You have a point and I will indeed do as you ask, by the way how good was the contingency plan we made if I was ever captured or killed?"

"Worked to perfection Sentinel, everyone knew their jobs and what they had to do from then on, besides the Coruscant branch of the NRA changed their policies after supposedly losing you so our team policy was easily accepted"

"So no more solo missions after my capture and supposed death?"

"Exactly, it's part of why after three years we succeeded in discovering you guys without losing our scouts to the enemy"

"Well like you said I have a major report to write so I'll get started on that while you guys relax until we're picked up by our ship"

Seven hours later the  _Komatsu_  picked them up and headed for home and Ashland stayed busy between her normal shift duties and the major report she had to write for the next three days, everyone needed to know about her time in captivity and she understood that so she did exactly as she should and explained as much as possible without compromising her crews or fellow Jedi's emotions. She also wrote in her report that while she technically had enough time and experience in rank she wanted to wait a little longer until others got promoted and had time in her rank before she even considered taking a promotion to Commander and being second-in-command of a ship, not to mention the liability she currently was being thought dead so often either by her choice or not so she decided to wait until that stopped happening on such a regular basis so that her new crew didn't have to face what her current and old crews had to face unless it was needed. Once she finished writing up her report she sent it in with a few more recommendations that she hoped got followed but she also understood that there was a possibility that they couldn't be followed, it all depending on what Starfleet both wanted and needed not to mention the situation that some of the recommendations required

"So have you finished your report yet Sentinel?"

"Yes I just sent it off to the appropriate people, now all that's left is about another five and a half months before finally reaching Federation space and getting our new posts if we are so assigned"

"Yeah, everyone's bonded over this new war and it will be hard to be separated yet at the same time it might be a good thing to split up the crews and get in some fresh members who aren't tainted by war"

"Yes but reports also state that there were battles in the Federation in regards to Republic enemies so there's also going to be plenty of cleanup that we'll have to do, just like the Republic needs time to rebuild so too does the Federation it seems"

"And time just keeps moving forward, do you think there will ever be a time when there is no invasion between our two groups now that we're aware of each other?"

"I don't know Lt. I really don't know"

"Ashland, I know this may seem forward but what are your plans once you do reach Federation space?"

"Simple I obey orders, I may be a Jedi but I am also a Starfleet officers and I know and understand why some orders are given while others are not and why those orders have to be obeyed. John I know you don't understand my kind but please understand that while Sentinel's have some unique abilities it's no different from the various alien races having their own special quirks"

Just then both of them were called to the observation lounge which they answered to. Five minutes later everyone who was needed was in the observation lounge and quite confused, finally the Captain spoke up to answer the questions

"I know everyone is wondering why you are here and it appears that a mission from several years ago now has repercussions for several of the crew though I don't know exactly how, especially because of the fact that I don't know what that mission entailed, I only know the name of that mission. Starfleet has named it the Goloran 5 mission, other than that I don't know anything for certain though there are rumors to be had I never paid any attention to them as it was while I was a Commander that this mission happened"

Ashland unknowingly speaks aloud for everyone to hear her inner thoughts

"The Goloran 5 mission I haven't heard about that in years"

"What do you mean Sentinel?"

She looks up startled to realize that she spoke that aloud

"I need to know who sent you that message first Captain, that ways I know just how much I can reveal and how much I can't"

"An Admiral Stone gave me this information and yes his codes have been verified by the computer"

"Then that means that I can tell you the full story, but first I think you should get the rest of the Command crew in here as this might affect them as well, especially as you'll be needing a back story"

Three minutes later the entire Command crew was there and quick explanations were given as to why they had been called

"First thing you should know is that the mission was classified as a need to know for at least thirty years unless circumstances changed after everything was all said and done, that it's been only about six or so years means that something's come up for this many people to hear about it, especially because it's only meant for people ranked Captain or above that should know about it but if Admiral Stone told you to gather all these people then I knew that the rest of the Command crew could hear about it as well since it appears secrecy is no longer needed, or at least not as much. The second thing you need to understand is that this happened while I was still an Academy student, due to my unique circumstances and the fact that Starfleet needed even a  _hint_  of an idea of how the Force works I was sent on more field training missions then most Academy students, meaning after my debrief I went on at least one mission a semester sometimes more if needed. This happened in my final year as a cadet shortly before I graduated and joined the  _Texas_  as an Ensign. Goloran 5 is a very dangerous planet even for it's inhabitants and as such every so often they need a little extra help providing basic needs, unfortunately they are also very distrustful of any mental powers due to their unique beliefs. We went there to help provide aid and also to move some of their people to a secondary location because of their families moving and they wanted to be with their families. Sadly we were unaware of their beliefs because they kept those beliefs hidden all these years even when they visited other planets. While we were there another major earthquake hit and this one was one of the most severe the planet had seen in fifty years, so I used the Force to move rubble away from some unsuspecting kids and was immediately arrested. To make matters worse their neighbors decided to drop by and cause some problems of their own and the ship I was on got caught in the crossfire, we eventually managed to scare them off but that meant only one of our problems were solved, we still had the whole I was in custody situation to deal with. Eventually a plea bargain was made and I was able to return to Starfleet but by that time enough damage had been made between both groups that Starfleet was now forbidden from ever helping again and they almost pulled out of several critical treaties but fortunately didn't. Once we got back we reported everything to the Admiralty and that was when it was decided that the mission would be sealed for thirty years unless it was vital to know and considering that we were no longer allowed into their space it was highly unlikely that the need to know rule would ever be invoked, for Admiral Stone to call you and give you even the mission name means something has come up. Now we need to call them and see why they declassified that mission so suddenly"

They quickly get Admiral Stone

"So Sentinel Portland I take it you need more information as to why I suddenly declassified the Goloran 5 mission?"

"Yes sir, I gave them the bare basics because the full story is just way too complicated to explain all in one go, what's going on? that mission was to be classified as a need to know for thirty years"

"Well you know how Goloran 5 stated that we were never to help them again on pain of death for any who entered their space?"

"Yes I do, I was there when the talks happened still one of their prisoners"

"Turns out that they need our help and are practically begging for it stating that they've seen the error of their ways and are more accepting of people with mind powers as they call it and are wondering if we could help them with a crew that specifically only deals with people that have mind powers to prove that they have changed their ways"

"And just what do you expect me to do seeing as how I'm still a good five and a half months away?"

"Not all of the Sentinel's went back to the Republic and you know them best so I was wondering if you could give me a list of Sentinel's that would be able to handle any problems or prejudices that might pop up in the mission, we can handle everyone else"

"Understood Admiral, anything else I need to know since we're talking?"

"What exactly are we supposed to do for our Republic prisoners to be safely contained until they are returned to the Republic?"

"I will write that down and send in the report at the same time as I give you the other list but for now...I would suggest the strongest force field you have for the stronger species"

"Understood Admiral Stone out"

"Portland out"

Communications are cut and everyone returns to their duty stations while now aware that there was more to their Sentinel then they originally knew and the Captain actually asked to talk more to Portland in his ready room

"Is there anything else I don't know about your Academy years that I need to know?"

"Not that I'm aware of sir, as far as I know the rest of the missions were either routine or anyone has access to them so long as they've properly graduated from the Academy and they're interested in learning more about their fellow officers known as Sentinel's and how everything started"

"Okay, for now I think you should be in engineering because I want us to go even faster than we are now but I want us to do so safely and with your access to the Force..."

"I'm able to sense danger a lot faster then others which means if something goes wrong I am able to react faster to hopefully either stop the problem from happening or negate worse consequences"

"Exactly, that will be your duty station until further notice"

Two weeks later everyone was tired and all wished the fluctuations that happened because of the engine being messed with were finished but they weren't. Finally though Ashland decided that enough was enough and she was taking the problem of making the warp core even faster to the holodeck so that the rest of the ship wasn't affected by her experiments, especially because she stopped five core breaches and seven core ejections in the two week period

"If I'm needed while in the holodeck simply call me and I will come as fast as I can"

"Understood, good luck Sentinel"

"Thanks I'll need it"

For the next three weeks after that she continued to tackle the problem getting little to no results which both confused and frustrated her because everything was telling her that what she was doing should be working or at least be telling her if she was going wrong some where's but nothing was happening no warnings or anything and the holodeck was designed to do everything as if it was happening for real with a few safety measures built in, then she thought of it through another means


	45. Chapter 45

"You know it might not be the engine designs that are the problem"

"What do you mean Sentinel?"

"Easy, the engines were already modified a great deal back when we first tackled our little problem of getting to Republic space faster than a year and a half, now it only takes about half a year a big improvement but now we need to go even faster? I think we need to reverse our thinking in order to make the Captain's request/order work"

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning that we don't tweak the engines even more, instead we start thinking about a whole new warp core design that will make us even faster"

"But that will take years to work and be approved"

"Not if we do what I did when I first returned to the Republic"

"You mean combining the technologies?"

"Yes, that happened years ago with the Bacta tanks and what not, so why can't we do the same with the engine designs that we know work? I know for a fact that the only reason why they never looked at my ship is because they never thought about it"

"But that technology is outdated by now"

"Actually in the Republic it's not, so it'll work, look just let me try it in simulations and I'll tell you how it's working, if I fail then I will tell the Captain that we can't make the ship any faster"

"In the meantime I think you need some sleep"

"You're right, I haven't slept in almost twenty-four hours because I thought I was getting close to a solution and then found out that I was as far away as when I first started tackling this problem"

"Get some sleep, someone else can work on the problem for now or if you don't trust them to know Republic technology well enough to do what you're thinking of you can at least trust us to work on solutions that don't involve Republic technology"

"Okay that I will allow because no one but me and maybe the other Sentinel's knows exactly how the engines work and as I'm the only Sentinel on board the ship I can't ask another Sentinel to take over, plus I don't know if any other Captain or members of Starfleet are starting to think six and a half months is still too long"

"Why do people think it's too long?"

"Simple, it's because of situations like this that people think that six and a half months is too long, because if there's an emergency in either galaxy then it takes way too long in several peoples minds to get help to one another"

"So all we can do is wait and hope we can get faster than six and a half months so that if emergencies happen in the future instead of months it will only take days or a couple of weeks at the most"

"Exactly, now then I desperately need to get some sleep so I'll see you after I get at least a solid twelve hours of sleep"

Fifteen hours later Ashland was back in the holodeck working on the problem with a solution in combining the two different technologies and she  _finally_  gets a solid lead on the solution and continues heading in that direction for the next three weeks and gets positive results in all the simulations, by that time they were only about two and a half months away from the Federation. She gives the Captain her daily report and he's also pleased with the results

"This is great news Sentinel Portland, I think the people in engineering will be glad for this, but I have to wonder why they didn't take advantage of Republic technology when you first arrived"

"Two reasons, first of all they had no understanding of Republic technology and didn't want to do anything that could be potentially...explosive let's just say and for another they never thought to ask me if they had permission to study Republic technology and see if we could combine the two. I was the only person who thought of such possibilities but because I was still learning for my first two years I never went to them about combining the two because I was nervous they would get onto me about that"

"And then you had to combine the two technologies anyways so that you could communicate with Starfleet after you guys made it to Republic space in the  _Texas_ "

"Exactly, by that time I was fairly certain it would work no problems, I just wasn't sure of the time it would take for the two to combine until I truly thought of it and then it only took fifteen minutes"

"Why did the Bacta tanks take longer though?"

"Those are a little more complex then the communication systems I'm afraid because it deals with technology that is potentially life saving"

"So depending on what the technology is for it's harder for the two to combine, then what does that say about our two different engine designs being able to work well together?"

"It says a lot, but at the same time do remember something, this is only a theory, we won't know if it works in the real world until we try it on one of the newer ships"

"Why not use a ship that's about to be retired I would think that makes much more sense"

"In some ways yes it would, but in others it would take twice as long to get things moving because it's in a ship ready to be decommissioned"

"Look we're going to have to find a way to pitch this idea to engineering and using newer ships typically isn't the way to do things"

"I know that Captain, but think of it from my point of view, ships ready to be decommissioned are old and typically already starting to fall apart on the inside if not the outside, it takes twice as much power to keep them running and even regular engines are ready to start cutting out on you at in opportune times how do you think that looks to someone like me who already has to combine two different technologies and is now forced to make them work in an old ship?"

"I get the point, however you still need to cover it with our engineering and design department at Starfleet and like I said they most likely won't give you a brand new ship which takes time to build anyways, besides we've modified all the current warp cores to go to Republic space in six and a half months we can do the same with current warp cores after we test yours on an older ship"

"Look I will talk to them about it but I'm telling you doing it in an old ship will only cause more delays but for now I am willing to talk and listen"

"That's all I'm asking, now then we still have two and a half months before we reach Federation space, have you figured out Sentinel assignment's that the Federation just can't handle?"

"Ages ago Captain, I even know where I'm going to request assignment within the next few days"

"Very well, talk to you again once you're on shift on the bridge in two days, now get some rest and take the two days off I'd say you've earned it"

"Yes sir and thanks"

Two days later things were back to normal and actually stayed that way until they reached Federation space, after that happened things took a turn for the worse because the  _Komatsu_  was invaded by pirates shortly before they were able to get any closer to a Federation starbase

"Okay, you are in so much trouble, time for the Sentinel Defense"

Ashland goes all out in the Sentinel Defense but was ultimately captured and put in the cargo bay with the rest of the crew

"They captured you"

"Like I didn't notice Lt. look I know you're shocked but they would've caught me eventually because of how fast and sudden this attack was, I was lucky that first time a ship I was on was captured this time I didn't get so lucky"

"But you were using your Sentinel Defense I thought no one could beat you with the Sentinel Defense"

"Hey I never stated that, it just gives us an edge is all, you never know the enemy though so it is still possible to be caught using the Sentinel Defense, like this time"

"So what's the plan now?"

"Don't worry I have a few ideas and even if we're dropped off on some planet with no means to communicate with the rest of the Federation I still have means of contacting people"

"You mean T'vran?"

"No, there's a reason why I suddenly collapsed a month ago in the middle of my shift"

"How did it happen?"

"According to his Captain he was on what was supposed to be an easy away mission, or at least easy compared to the last three missions, unfortunately things happened and he was killed in the line of duty, but still even without him I have my methods and no I will not be explaining them to anyone, mainly because they involve Republic information that you don't have"

Well they were dumped onto another planet while the  _Komatsu_  was taken further into Federation space which meant everyone was now in danger because the  _Komatsu_  was a friendly ship and would be considered as such until such a time a reason is given for them not to be considered friendly

"What now?"

"Easy we use my method of communicating with the right people to inform them the  _Komatsu_  is no longer a friendly ship"

She then sits down in her typical meditation pose and goes deep into the Force seeking out a Sentinel or at least a Force sensitive, and if that failed she would then expend herself trying to make contact with a non Force sensitive, but fortunately a Romulan vessel was actually nearby and one of them was Force sensitive enough to get the message, even without proper training. It also helped that the Romulan was currently asleep and as such more receptive to Force messages

_Mental connection_

"Look as soon as you wake up inform your commanding officer that the  _Komatsu_  is no longer a friendly ship, it has been taken over by what I am calling pirates, warn the rest of the Romulan and her allies fleet, inform the Federation but most importantly inform Starfleet so that they can warn everyone else before a confrontation happens and the  _Komatsu_  is declared rogue"

_End of communication_

Ashland opens her eyes and talks after she regains her bearings

"Well I sent a message, now all that's left is for the Romulan to believe the message and inform his superiors immediately now then I need a nap because this method drains me pretty badly still"

"Get some sleep Portland we have watch"

Meanwhile on the Romulan vessel

"Sir I am not lying to you I did receive a message while I was dreaming"

"But how is that possible soldier?"

"I don't know but I get the feeling that this was no ordinary dream, either way we should contact Starfleet and tell them the message"

They do contact Starfleet and give them the message

"How did you come by this information?"

The Romulan who had the dream told them

"Just under an hour ago I was asleep when suddenly I had a dream where someone told me that the  _Komatsu_  had been taken over by what they were calling pirates and that I needed to inform everyone else who are our allies and the Federation, but it was vital Starfleet heard this before an attack that forced you to declare the  _Komatsu_  rogue"

"Tell me was this person female?"

"Yes they were"

"Did they look like this?"

With that the Admiral brought up Ashland's picture


	46. Chapter 46

"Yes that's exactly who contacted me"

"Captain your officer is going to need to be tested for midi-chlorians if he hasn't already because it sounds as if he's Force sensitive which if that's the case than it explains how easily he got the message Ashland needed to send"

"I understand, we will of course head to where they are to pick them up, though it will be a tight fit especially if there are civilians"

"No, because of the potential dangers of the mission this time they left their families at home"

"Very well"

The Romulans managed to get to where the officers were and picked them up

"Welcome aboard, we've passed the message on to Starfleet and they know the  _Komatsu_  is not a friendly and will do their best to regain the ship but are realistic in their thoughts"

"We know and understand"

"Captain I will need to get in touch with the Jedi Council and Republic Senate ASAP, even if we don't have as secure a line as I need"

"Are you implying..."

"No Captain I'm not implying that your security isn't good, however due to who I am and the people I need to make regular reports to I need a line that's even more secure than the Starfleet lines for Captain's only when they're sending out a specific code or even Admiralty lines. My secure line is normally quin-triple encrypted with a single layered language scrambler at both ends, and only the right response code allows you to de-scramble the lines enough for each person to understand the other but in between while the conversation is happening anyone trying to tap into the line won't be able to understand a word either side says. If it's to a normal line and it's not vital to security then my line is only triple encrypted but the language scramble is still active just in case it's vital for other reasons"

"Portland that's only for when you're communicating with the Republic though right?"

"Wrong Captain, that's for both the Republic and the Admiralty because I really can't take chances that someone will over hear something that could get people killed"

"Okay, you're right our lines aren't nearly that secure, at most we have a double encryption if need be"

"And while I really need something a bit more secure I'll work with what I've got don't worry"

"Well we actually have been working on adding a third layer of encryption due to the whole war thing that's going on, just give us a few more days and you'll have triple encryption for the Republic but Sentinel Portland Starfleet Command is demanding you speak with them now even if you don't have as secure a line as you normally do"

"Fine, can I at least use your office because that will automatically have a double layered encryption?"

"I'm perfectly fine with that, but they also want to speak with your Captain"

"Fine I actually need to discuss a few things and having him there will make things much easier"

So the two go to the Romulan version of a ready room and make contact with Starfleet Command

"What's going on Admiral?"

"We've got problems Sentinel Portland, Captain Frost"

"What kind of problems sir?"

"We're losing ground fast, if this keeps up Vulcan will have to take over as the central hub of the Federation because we'll have lost Earth, as it is the Academy is no longer running seeing as how I deemed it too dangerous"

"Sir, has there been any contact from the Republic lately?"

"Yes and they actually need to talk to you in person Ashland but they did ask me to pass on a message if you can't contact them immediately, they said to tell you that things are going great and the rebuilding is on schedule so you might see the Jedi Council recalling the Jedi still here"

"That's actually wonderful news that people can go back home if they so choose"

"Yes, there's actually more they need to talk to you about but they say that has to be done in person"

"Understood, the Romulan vessel we're on is currently working on triple encrypting their line so that I have at least better security then a double encrypted line, there's also something I need to inform you guys, something that will explain why learning sign language was so easy for me and the other Sentinel's. We have mandatory sign language lessons from a young age, but we have two different sign languages, the first sign language is military sign language which of course Starfleet also uses, though it is a bit different, the second is called commoners sign language and that's entirely different from Federation's Standard sign language"

"Understood Sentinel Portland, we'll just add that on to your files, is that why you had both an easy time and difficult time all at once learning the sign language we forced on you?"

"Yes because some signs were similar to Republic sign language but with different meanings yet at the same time there were signs that were completely different that had no definition in the Republic"

"I guess that's something else to add to your file as well"

"Yes there's also some new information about me that I never told you guys due to how classified they were about me even in the Republic for two of the things and for the third it was just never important so I never thought to mention it before"

"Then why mention it now?"

"Because it's starting to affect me more, if we don't get it under control I'll start acting more on the will of the Force than the orders of the Admiralty and we  _can't_  afford that right now"

"Okay, we'll read it because it sounds like you're starting to struggle already"

"Yeah and I need to contact the Republic ASAP too"

"Not until you have even slightly better security with your comm line"

"Don't worry I know better especially considering some of what needs to be discussed according to you"

"Yes, there are some important things that will need to be discussed between the two groups due to some of what was discussed between the Federation and the Republic"

"So quick question, how's the battle to regain the  _Komatsu_  going anyhow?"

"Not good so far, in fact we hope to have a new ship to you guys soon, and when I say new I mean just off the assembly line new"

"Wow, wait, what about the fact that I know my Captain has been wanting a new engine design?"

"We already have a new engine design because there were a lot of people complaining about the six and a half months it took to get to the Republic and back, not to mention the problem that you guys encountered with having to turn right back around that one time"

"Can I see the designs?"

"Sure"

They show her the engine design and except for a few differences they were exactly like hers

"Wow we can actually use my engine design for anything not critical, here let me show you"

She does and the Admiralty is shocked this time

"You're right, two different groups yet basically the same design?"

"Guess we simply think alike in this situation"

"Guess so, expect the new ship within the week"

"Got it"

Two days later Ashland was able to contact the Republic, and the conversation started with Master Skywalker speaking in Huttese

*Portland, seven Master/Padawan teams and the Rogue squadron are heading your way with our permission, they should...*

*I thought I specifically forbade you guys from interfering at the moment*

*Tell that to three Padawans and sixteen Masters who all had Force visions seeing trouble if we didn't come, or at least more trouble then you guys currently have*

*Then why haven't I?...*

*We don't know we think it's the Force protecting you as much as possible*

*Fine*

They then switch to basic

"By the way, several of the Jedi that are currently helping repair the damage from our battles are asking what they should do to help the refugees that have either stayed or on their way and will settle on various planets depending on where they want to live"

"Not much for now in regards to those that aren't even there yet but for those that already are just make sure that they're adapting as best they can and check up on their dietary needs"

"Fine will do"

Skywalker then switches to commoners sign language

*I also need to know if we should start teaching at least the civilians commoners sign language because we can communicate fine with Starfleet with the military sign language though there are a few rough patches*

*No, they have their own commoners sign language and it would be best not to confuse them*

*Fine*

They switch back to English

"Anything else that needs to be discussed?"

"Not that I can think of"

"Then Sentinel Portland out"

"Master Skywalker out"

Comms are cut and everyone just looks at her expectantly

"Is there any other conversation you need to have, because we couldn't understand a word you said for a bit and of course that sign language was something we didn't understand either"

"Actually yes there is something I need to take care of, but the conversation is best done on the bridge because a lot of people will be affected by what I have to say to Command"

Then to the shock of the Romulan crew she starts speaking in their language not knowing that she had learned Romulan, Vulcan, Bajoran, and Cardassian just in case, add that to her knowledge of Basic, Huttese, and Bocce that meant she knew seven spoken languages all together


	47. Chapter 47

*Could you guys set up a transmission with Starfleet Command because there are things that need to be discussed which could affect this ship and definitely affects me personally*

*Of course, um how many languages  _do_  you know?*

*Seven spoken all together I also know three different forms of sign language*

*Okay I'll admit that's impressive*

Comms are quickly set up and they actually get the entire Admiralty due to a major meeting going on

"Yes Captain Vorak what can I do for you?"

Portland speaks up instead

"Actually Admiral I was the one that wanted to talk to everyone, did the Republic tell you about the Jedi teams and Rogue squadron headed our way without my permission?"

"Yes, but the Jedi Council wanted to tell you that themselves so that they could explain their reasons in person rather than second hand"

"Okay, have you guys figured out how this will work once they're here?"

"No, that's something we'll need to discuss with you since you know them best and I guess now is the best time"

"Yeah, I'm thinking of treating the Rogue squadron and Jedi teams as a separate unit that doesn't answer to anyone unless there's a Federation ship in the area and even then the Captain won't have as much authority over them as if they were in the Republic"

"That might not work well with some of the more rules oriented Captains"

"I know, but what do you suggest?"

"I agree with them being a separate unit that doesn't answer to anyone unless there's a Federation ship but instead of very loose control they have to obey the Captain except when they're not sure it would work and even then they need to discuss it with the Captain to see if there's a better option"

"So basically they have the right to choose whether or not to obey an order if they think it's wrong and there's not a better solution?"

"Exactly"

Ashland thinks on that for a bit and then nods her head in agreement

"That will work and I'm sure they'll understand, however that will mostly apply to the Rogue squadron only, the Jedi teams will work solo more often than not due to the Force"

"Fine, but they have to report in to someone at least once a month so that we know they're still alive and if a Federation vessel feels like they're in danger than the Federation ship has authority over the Jedi teams until the danger has passed"

"Fine"

Things continued to run smoothly when three days later the ship was contacted by an unknown vessel

" _USS REPUBLIC ALLIANCE_  to  _Vol'ran_  come in please"

"This is the  _Vol'ran_  go ahead  _Republic Alliance_ "

"Hey Portland, is Captain Frost on the bridge?"

"Indeed I am, is it safe to assume that's my new ship?"

"Yes it is, and it's actually the first in it's own class the  _Alliance_  class, and I think with the ships name you can guess why it's called the  _Alliance_  class"

"Indeed we can, just let me inform my crew and we'll start heading right over"

Things were going fine and the crew was learning about the new ship when suddenly Ashland held her head in her hands and went down to her knees crying out in pain and then suddenly a message was heard but of course almost no one understood the message

*To all Jedi both in the Republic and Federation both codes Anakin Skywalker and order 66, all Jedi to be on stand by for full on battle both in the Republic and Federation, civilians are first priority as always, Portland full authorization to go all out including your  _special_  abilities*

The message ends just as suddenly as it began and Ashland was calm once more, but Portland suddenly went to tactical and activated audio communications with the entire fleet

"First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland to all active duty Sentinel's, further orders to supplement Council orders, all Sentinel's to wear bracelets for thirty-six hours starting at the hour mark, all Jedi only programs to be locked until further notice, mandatory meditations now two hours, everything else is at a need to react basis, I will inform the Admiralty of what's going on requesting they pass on the information to the Captains you do not have permission to reveal what was said until confirmation that Admiralty has explained things"

She then finally pays attention to her crew for the first time since she reacted to something in pain

"Admiral I need to call the rest of Starfleet Command because this could affect a majority of the fleet"

"Very well"

Two minutes later then entire Admiralty was online

"What's going on Portland?"

"About fifteen minutes ago all Jedi just received a message from the Jedi Council, we were given Jedi codes Anakin Skywalker and order 66, code Anakin Skywalker means one or more Jedi have gone Sith while order 66 calls for the extermination of the entire Jedi population"

"Understood Portland, anything we can do to help?"

"Not really, though I think it would be handy to have Force inhibitor bracelets ready for the Jedi on the way here just in case"

"That was already being done as soon as we were informed they were on their way, there's also Force inhibitors ready for all Jedi still here that are not Starfleet officers"

"Totally forgot about those thanks"

"No problem, you didn't even know about a majority of them"

"You're right, all Sentinel's have been given their orders already in regards to the Force inhibitors"

"How long are they going to be on?"

"Thirty-six hours, I've also put a lock on the Jedi only programs until further notice as well as extended the mandatory meditation period by an hour"

"Good idea"

"Any orders you might want to supplement that I didn't think of?"

"Yes actually, the Jedi only programs are to be locked until we personally give the order you will not have any control over them Portland, not with the fact that there are Jedi on the way that will need your help instead of only a few days correct?"

"You got me, it would have been a week at most"

"Exactly, and before we make any more changes I want to know your thinking when limiting your Force inhibitor for only thirty-six hours"

"Easy, the thirty-six hours is only so that we can get a handle on our emotions about one or more Jedi going Sith all of a sudden without hurting anyone accidentally, hopefully it won't take longer than thirty-six hours but I trust the Sentinel's to know if they need longer"

"Okay, we're adding at least one mandatory session with the guidance counselor to help you deal with the emotions before the thirty-six hours is up, we'll inform the Sentinel's"

"Understood"

"Okay, you know how to deal with the rest of your job so we'll leave you to it Sentinel Portland, call if you get anymore messages before the thirty-six hours are up to see if that will affect any orders we might give ships that have Sentinel's"

"Yes sir Sentinel Portland out"

"Admiralty out"

Communication was cut and the crew started learning their new ship, including just how finicky it was whenever they tried to go to warp five from a dead stop though it wasn't because of an engine design failure. Instead what was going on was that there was a delay in the system giving the order to the engines to go to warp five from a dead stop, a programming quirk that they were still working on because it wasn't something that the engineering designs and tests had discovered

"Dawson have you solved the programming issue yet?"

"Sorry Sentinel Portland, it's not working like I thought it would"

(Sighs) "I understand, do you need any help?"

"Please, I think part of it is the combination of technologies again, you know how the bacta tanks gave us problems for a while there until you gave us the solution?"

"Oh I get it, yes I'll help as much as I can because that could be part of the problem, but I want more members of your team working on the solution then along side us because they might have ideas I don't that might work"

"Understood Sentinel, when should we meet?"

Portland looks at a watch she always wore and made a decision that she knew wouldn't be popular but was also the right decision ultimately

"We wait until 0900 tomorrow because we both need sleep"

"But..."

"That's an order Fresh...Lt. is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am"

"Good, now get some sleep"

Both of them head separate ways and after she files her daily report Portland went to sleep. The next day the main engineering team was in a room discussing the issues and trying to get a solid solution


	48. Chapter 48

"Sentinel Portland, exactly what did you do to get the bacta tanks working?"

"Reprogramming the computer several times with various programs specifically designed in the Republic and then mixing it in with the Federation coding. After that I shut down the system for two hours and then rebooted the system and then simply had to wait to see if the tank worked properly and it did"

"Then why not do that with the engine?"

"Because that is much more complex then the bacta tank"

"How can an engine be more complex then a device that helps save lives?"

"You have no idea just what's involved in making a Republic engine much less combining Republic and Federation technologies"

"Well we need to figure out something"

"I know"

So they started actually looking at the engine design and realized that the engine was very complex

"Can we see the designs for the bacta tank?"

As soon as the design of the bacta tank was revealed the entire engineering team realized that the engine was much more complex than the bacta tank

"So what now?"

"We make another plan"

The two start making new plans but eventually Portland speaks up and no one is happy with her when she speaks up

"Okay, everyone is to take a break and get something to eat. No one is allowed back in here for at least two hours and that's an order"

"But Sentinel..."

"No buts that's an order period the end of it, or do I need to go to Captain Frost?"

"No ma'am"

"Good, now then I'm going to get something to eat and then meditate, I suggest you guys do that as well or something else that helps you relax and think about the problem in a different way"

Unfortunately the problem of the engine would have to wait because Ashland suddenly felt something in the Force that meant she needed to be on the bridge  _now_ , not an hour from now, not five minutes from now but now as in immediately unless she wanted bigger trouble later on, she got to the bridge just as the ship was hit

"Ensign get ready to fire back on my order"

"Hold your fire!"

Everyone turns to Portland shocked she was on the bridge considering she was supposed to be dealing with the engine problem

"What's going on Portland?"

"They're scared Captain, they don't mean any harm but they also don't know where they are, open hailing frequencies audio only that type of ship doesn't have visual capabilities"

"Fine we'll try it your way first"

She's soon told that they could hear her

"This is First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland of the  _USS Republic Alliance_  which is part of the United Federation of Planets"

"This is High Prefect Lalond of Vranok, we do not recognize either your rank or this United Federation of Planets"

"Ah sorry, I've gotten used to identifying myself as that, you would recognize the title of Jedi Knight much better, if you would stand down and come aboard this ship I can explain the situation a bit better"

"Let me discuss this with my command crew and I should be back to you with an answer within fifteen minutes"

"Very well, do understand that if we do not hear from you within that time we will consider you a potential risk and act accordingly"

"Understood Jedi Knight"

Comms are cut and Ashland turns to her Captain knowing she needed to explain

"The Vranok are allies of the Republic but they are not part of it, we mainly have a trading agreement with them, they've never heard of the Federation because all dealings are done on their planet per their preference because while they  _can_  travel within space they don't like to do it very often, they travel to Coruscant about once every five years, the reason why they never saw Federation representative's or Starfleet officers is because they meet in another area and are always off planet by the end of the day unless they arrive at night then they are gone by the end of the next day"

"Then their reaction makes sense now"

"Exactly"

Five minutes before the deadline the Captain of the other ship called back and came over. It would take another twelve hours for the full explanation and the offer of an escort to Earth for their safety

"Though we might be forced to divert to Vulcan, if that's the case then you guys will be pretty comfortable on that planet"

"What makes you say that Sentinel Portland?"

"Easy, you haven't noticed our guests shivering from the cold? Vranok people live on a desert planet very similar to Vulcan, though the air is the same as Earth so tri-ox isn't needed"

"It will for them because of the thinner atmosphere of Vulcan"

"Not necessarily, Captain, our people are very adept at adjusting to a new atmosphere if the air is thinner than our own we have a means of making sure we get proper oxygen to our vital organs"

"Of course I forgot about that one organ that does that"

"What are you two talking about Sentinel Portland?"

"The Vranok have a...sub organ you could call it that provides extra oxygen to vital organs if the atmosphere is thinner than their own or more toxic than their own as well"

"But there are limits, we need our regular atmosphere after a period of...three Earth days for approximately five of your Earth hours"

"Oh...didn't know that, and Captain there's another thing you should know, the Vranok have a unique diet that not many places provide, and no one in the Federation currently supplies it, trust me I should know I was actually on their planet a year when I was a Padawan with my Master and enjoyed their food and have tried finding it in the Federation since I got here and nothing"

"Don't worry Knight Portland, we can adapt to another's diet at least temporarily"

"But in the long term you'll start starving or other effects that won't be pretty"

"What can we do to help them?"

"There's actually not much we  _can_  do right now, not with their unique dietary needs, the best thing we can do is use special dietary cards that supplement what they need but that will only work for so long, what we really need to do is either get their unique diet to the Federation or find a safe way to get them home because they'll die otherwise"

"For now let's start escorting you to Earth until we hear otherwise"

Before anyone could leave Ashland speaks up

"Captain wait" (sighs) "I think there's something the crew needs to see before we go any further in a battle that could involve Sith or Sith artifacts at any given moment, something that explains why Jedi are cautious and at times if they're not capable of keeping a handle on their emotions also a little fearful of both the Sith and their artifacts, and the Vranok need to see as well just in case they encounter either one wherever they are"

"Very well"

Fifteen minutes later all non essential personnel was in the largest room available that had a view screen that let them watch whatever Portland wanted them to see, those that couldn't be there would get a private viewing later. They soon saw what they thought was a Jedi but they weren't too sure considering they were fighting their own friends with an efficiency that surprised them and also a viciousness that didn't seem natural, they also noticed the braid which identified them as a Padawan


	49. Chapter 49

"Who is that Padawan, Portland?"

"I'm not surprised you don't recognize them, after all you don't see pure lightsaber battles often and the phaser affects the fighting style. That person that's fighting their friends is me"

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah, my Master and I got separated on a mission and I was missing for five months, this was when we were first getting used to the training bond and didn't realize I was unique even amongst the Jedi. The Council questioned me about my five months but I didn't remember anything and then I started attacking my fellow Jedi. After I was knocked out I was scanned in the healing wing and we discovered that I was under the influence of a Sith artifact and also a memory wipe. Even now years later I still don't really remember what happened during those five months but over time I did remember I was tortured on a regular basis to weaken my will and make me more susceptible to the Sith artifact"

"Why make us watch this?"

"To show you just how dangerous a Jedi can be under the influence of a Sith or Sith artifact, it's especially dangerous when the Jedi doesn't even know they're being influenced"

"Which means that at least some of the Jedi that have turned Sith might not be doing it through their own will"

"Exactly, but we won't know for sure until we do tests"

They eventually made it to Earth which was now a war zone and one of the only safe places left was the Starfleet Academy. Though the Vranok's were actually dropped off on Vulcan just in case. A few days later the crew of the  _Republic Alliance_  saw first hand just how bad the two pronged war was going because the Sith were allying themselves with their current enemy

"Take this Fire's Fury!"

Ashland raised her right arm with her hand open and moving it from left to right hit several of the enemy with a blaze that looked extremely hot, and it shocked everyone because they didn't know about this ability because it wasn't needed before then

"I know I need to explain things but not now, let's wait until the battle is over with"

The fight lasted for quite a while but eventually things calmed down enough for Ashland to explain things a little bit

"As you guys know I am unique amongst the Jedi, known as what is known as a Force Trouble indicator which means even the smallest problems that can be detected through the Force I can detect them but I can also discern which can be ignored completely, those that aren't an emergency and can wait a little bit or are so important I have to risk being declared absent without leave to take care of the problem immediately. Well I was captured and experimented on during a mission, one that would have shown my Master if I was ready to take the trials to become a Jedi Knight, that mission was long and complicated and I'm not going into that right now, however I will explain what happened when I was captured and experimented on. They gave me drugs and did other sorts of things and initially after I was reunited with the Jedi we figured that nothing was really wrong because I didn't show any signs of any drugs or anything else, unfortunately we didn't realize that the drug dissipates quickly and the after affects only show under stress and when I was working towards being fit for active duty once more I was under a lot of stress and suddenly fire shot out from my hand. We've discovered what I can and can't do with the abilities that I have and I am actually learning something new every day it seems due to the fact that my Defender's Righteous Fire as I call it changes as I change and adapts to my needs at any given moment. There's more abilities but since they're not needed right now I won't reveal my other abilities until such a time as they are needed"

"Very well, are you sure you have full control over your abilities?"

"Yes I do"

"Good"

A few hours later alarms were going off like crazy and everyone was trying to figure things out but due to how chaotic things were no one was getting things done so Ashland does the only thing she can do which was use the Force to calm everyone down, and it was an overt use as well that everyone would feel and Ashland knew that in normal situations she would get in trouble but considering just how panicky people were being including a few Sentinel's (though the Sentinel's were trying their hardest not to panic and bring back order it was just too much for them) she knew she would be justified

"ENOUGH!"

At that word with the powerful Force suggestion behind it calmed everyone down enough to start listening to orders and getting things organized a bit better

"Okay, Ensigns stay back, Lt. junior grade and up are going to the front lines in ranking order which means Lt. junior grade's are the last line of defense before the Ensigns"

"What about the Sentinel's?"

"Oh all the Sentinel's no matter what their equivalent rank will be on the front lines...wait I just thought of something, those with the equivalent of Lt. and back will stay behind just in case the front lines fall"

"Makes sense, okay then that's what we'll do"

Everyone quickly got to their positions and the battle was intense, with those that knew and were authorized to use the Sentinel's Defense using that style to the point of having to be pulled back to the safety of the Academy because they exhausted themselves by over using that style. Even Ashland would have to be pulled back to the last line of defense a few times because using her Defender's Righteous fire exhausted her after a point though she recovered a lot more quickly then the other Sentinel's using less exhausting means of defending everyone. This pattern continued for several months until one night Ashland suddenly woke up in a cold sweat due to the fact that it was one of the few nights the Sentinel's were allowed to take off their Force inhibitors per their rotation and she had a Force vision which involved a lot of people dead if she didn't take immediate action. The reason behind the rotations that allowed the Jedi to take off their inhibitors despite the Sith was because of an incident a month into the constant defense of the Academy where a Probation Sentinel had a small mental breakdown because of just how long they had gone without the Force and the fact that the Sith would do anything to turn even regular people against each other, and it was discovered that the Sith didn't attack at night but just in case there were rotations made where a Sentinel was allowed two nights every third week to feel the Force in it's full potential and that's exactly what happened to Ashland that night

"Okay, I don't think people are going to like this however if I don't want the world destroyed this is something I have to do" (sighs) "I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do if I get out of this alive"

Ashland goes to the central command center and starts pushing buttons which alerts the security team who appear confused when they see what Sentinel Portland is doing

"Um not to be rude Sentinel Portland but just what are you doing?"

"Sending a massive data file through a one way link to a location of my choosing that won't be able to be accessed again until you go to that location. Don't worry though I will leave hints for whoever tries to access the files before they reach the location so that they can go their and properly access the files again. I am doing this for a reason and I am not to be questioned about it"

She turns around to see all of the security officers ranked Ensign and not a single Sentinel amongst them which was against protocol even if the Sentinel's weren't really allowed to access the Force at the moment except at night on their rotation

"Where is your Sentinel?"

"Um, for some reason we don't have one tonight, what are you doing up at this hour?"

"Well in regards to the lack of a Sentinel someone's messed up and is going to regret it really soon as for what I'm doing up at this hour let's just say I had a Force vision and leave it at that okay?"

"Fine, um are you sure you're okay? I've seen the after affects of a Jedi's Force visions and they aren't always pleasant"

"I'm okay I know how to deal with the after affect of a Force vision so you don't have to call a doctor on me. Oh and one more thing...you're going to hate me in the morning after this, and I mean  _really_  hate me in the morning, but ultimately I think you'll thank me in time once the full scope of what I've done is revealed to you"

"What..."

The Ensign never finished the question due to the fact that he was put to sleep with a Force suggestion. After that Ashland left the area of the Academy and eventually made it to a location that she knew wouldn't endanger anyone and flared her Force signature as bright as it could possibly be waking up the few Sentinel's that were on her same rotation and even a few Sentinel's that had the Force inhibitor on because of who she was. The first flare was unexpected but seemed to feel like she was saying a message to a specific group, the second flare was sudden and felt sad like a goodbye and then those that didn't have the inhibitors on suddenly started mourning wherever they were be they at their stations or in their rooms because they realized what had just happened. The next day all the Sentinel's were told of a special exception being allowed that night that would allow all Jedi to not wear their inhibitors and that all would be explained in the meeting at 1800 hours the time that all Jedi were allowed to take off their inhibitors that were on rotation because the schedule was from 1800-0600 for two nights every three weeks, the only other time there were exceptions was if the wound was serious enough that the doctor felt that the Jedi might die without a choice if they didn't at least allow the Jedi to try and enter the trance. That night all the Sentinel's and a few Jedi gathered and waited for news on what was going on what they didn't expect was seeing the next highest authority in the ranks of the Sentinel's to be on stage because for something this big to affect all of them normally Portland was the one speaking

"Okay I'm going to count backwards from ten and when I reach zero you're going to feel an extreme shock so the counting is to start preparing you for that shock, unfortunately you can't fully prepare for what you're about to feel so just do the best you can, after that I will explain what I know from what security guards have told me...very unhappy security guards I might add so I wouldn't mess with the ones supposed to be on duty tonight for a few days. Now then ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero"

At zero all the Sentinel's and the rare Jedi took off their Force inhibitors and they could feel the loss of Portland which explained why her second-in-command when it came to Sentinel's was talking

"Now then according to the guards on duty tonight Ashland sent a massive data file one way some where's and we won't be able to access the file until we get to that location though there will be clues to lead us there, the problem is we don't know what file she sent and she denied needing medical care right before she knocked them out with a Force suggestion which we didn't fully break. They gave us half coherent replies and I don't think they really understood what was going on or will even remember our questioning most likely the last thing they'll truly remember is being knocked out by Portland which is why we're going to be leaving them alone for a few days. Now then hopefully we'll find out why Ashland sacrificed herself if that's what happened but most likely we won't, so instead we need to figure out what file she sent and where"

"Is the reason why the rotation is suspended so that we can properly mourn over the next few days?"

"Yes it is"

"This is going to take some time to work out fully"

"Yes it will, meditations will help and we have multiple counselors on standby if you simply want to talk most are either Vulcan, Betazed or half Betazed so that should be a big help, those that aren't any of those still have the proper training to help so I suggest...no unless you're a regular old Jedi I am ordering you to use those counselors, you have a week to comply before being stood down from duty for everyone's safety. A doctor will work just as well, for the regular Jedi you will not be going to the Starfleet counselors instead there are some civilian counselors that are the same as the Starfleet counselors who have worked with Jedi a few times so they know what they are getting themselves into that you are to use, you have the same time limit as the Sentinel's and yes I can order you guys around as you very well know since I was Ashland's second-in-command and now the primary Sentinel"

Meanwhile Ashland wasn't dead like everyone thought she was instead she was taken captive by the race that Starfleet was currently fighting, the race that had actually allied themselves with the Sith. The Sith wanted to kill all the Jedi but they also decided that their temporary allies would get a few Jedi as test subjects depending on the situation that they were captured

"You guys will fall, as will your Sith allies, they'll be the first to fall because I have a feeling I know why so many Jedi have suddenly gone Sith and massacred their own people"

"And just what makes you say that?"

"The device in that jar I'm staring at, the reason why you won't let it affect me is because you need a Jedi not tainted by the power of a Sith artifact, now then the Sith currently don't know you have me but when they find out and then are Jedi again your little ploy in faking my death will fail"

"Here's the thing  _Jedi_  we don't plan on them ever finding out about you, you see we gave you a modified Force inhibitor collar which is painful for Jedi and makes everyone think you're dead true, but we also left DNA traces for the Sith so that they don't ask if we have you that means if this device is ever broken and they become Jedi again they'll simply believe that you're dead along with the rest of the Jedi. Now then it's time to take you to our home planet for safekeeping, that ways even if this one device is destroyed after we come back they won't be able to find you easily, but first where did you send that file and what was on it?"

"Like I'd ever tell you?"

"Point, very well let's just get a move on then, maybe we'll find the answers ourselves one day"

"I'd like to see you try" (thinks) " _though to be honest they might actually find out that I sent all my personnel files and all my diaries and logs, along with all information pertaining to Jedi to the planet Dagobah and then made sure Starfleet can no longer access them due to a few things that are sensitive enough that if the enemy manages to hack into the files they could wipe out the Republic or find new ways of torturing Jedi with that information. The reason why I made sure allies could find clues was so that after this whole mess is dealt with they can regain access to the information that they will need whether or not I am actually dead by that time, I only hope my clues are helpful enough and not too vague for Starfleet because otherwise they may never get that information back except from the Jedi archives and I_ really  _don't think the Council will appreciate that_ "

Ashland is then knocked out and kept unconscious for the rest of the trip finally arriving on the planet of her captures


	50. Chapter 50

"This is just one of the people that we will capture and put into our prison camps"

"Very well"

When Ashland arrived she realized that while there were prisoners there were also slaves and she also realized that the planet as a whole didn't realize this, that they were being lied to

(Thinks) " _OK wait how do I know that if I can't access the Force unless...thank you Force Trouble indicator abilities you have probably saved the day once again I just don't know how to use that information right now_ "

The reason why Ashland thought of her abilities as a Force Trouble indicator even without access to the Force was because she had learned that even when cut off due to the fact that she was nearly as powerful as the prophecised chosen one which had already passed the Force would sometimes be able to give her information even if access to the Force was cut off

"Get to work"

"Fine, but don't think I'm doing this willingly"

She suddenly feels a shock going through her due to the collar

"We already know you aren't doing this willingly, however for each act of defiance you get punished with an electrical shock at the least and then more severe punishment's depending on the severity of the defiance or infraction, now stop talking and get to work"

"Yes sir"

Ashland starts working not knowing it would be three years before she was free, three years during which she would lose her sight as punishment for another's mistake, three years of being thought dead and three years during which she would almost die once. But since she didn't know that all she could do at the moment was work and hope she was rescued soon. Meanwhile on Earth they had been searching for her remains for the past few days and then suddenly they came across a discovery that shocked and discouraged everyone because they found her specially modified belt that she had made and designed for the Sentinel's use whenever they were Sentinel's and not their equivalent rank

"It's Sentinel Portland's belt, along with her lightsaber and phaser both"

"She would never leave those weapons behind if she could help it, never they've both become a part of her, they're her lifeline, all the Sentinel's make sure they have both at all times whenever they aren't acting as their equivalent rank"

"We need to find her remains, they must be close by if we found the belt"

They never found her remains though and they never found out why they found her special utility belt either

_Days earlier_

"My main lightsaber and phaser will stay here because I  _can't_  afford to lose these weapons, though that means Starfleet will be forced to give up the search even if there's no body, hopefully the enemy won't figure out that the lightsaber I will be wearing is a fake until it's too late"

She takes off the utility belt and sets it down where it would be found. She then goes to where she knew the enemy would find her but would also be in a fairly deserted place so that innocent people wouldn't be at risk or if there were innocent people it wouldn't be too many

"All right if you want me come and get me"

And so she flares her Force signature which brings the enemy to her and she is in an intense fight from the start but finally they take her down. Right before she lost consciousness and had the collar put on her she sent out one final burst of Force energy out hoping that at least one Jedi would hear the underlining message behind that burst and then the collar was on her and she was unconscious

_Present day_

The group returned to the Academy and everyone could tell the search team's spirits were down

"Have you found her remains?"

"No, but we found the best we're going to get"

With that the search team leader reveals the utility belt lightsaber and all

"I understand, we will keep this lightsaber intact until such a time as we can pay proper tribute to Portland, right now we can't give her a proper burial"

"We know"

Just then a Commander who had gotten stuck on Earth when his ship was destroyed while he was running an errand at the Academy suddenly spoke up having noticed something not many people would notice if they hadn't been around Jedi and more specifically Sentinel's for long periods of time. But as far as people knew this Commander had never been around a Sentinel before, his ship not only too small for one to be required but also there not being a lot of Sentinel's yet that allowed for Captain's to have a Sentinel if they so chose and as such ships that were large enough to be required as well as stations had first call on Sentinel's. That was a lie though as people would soon find out

"Okay Sophomore Sentinel Trazlof you and me mats now"

"Um Commander that might not be such a good idea, you  _really_  don't want to spar an angry Sentinel especially if you've never been around a Sentinel before, Force inhibitor on or not"

"I think I know what I'm doing Lt. now then Sentinel mats, now and I am not taking no for an answer"

"Yes Commander"

With that the two of them went to the mats

"Rules?"

"Full out and I really don't care that the rules state that you absolutely have to have your Force inhibitor on during the day even though everyone's been given an exception at night for the moment I want to fight you when you're at your best...wait one restriction no weapons this is a pure hand to hand combat session so take that utility belt off and I will do the same"

"Your choice Commander just don't complain at the results"

"Don't worry I know what I'm doing Sentinel Tranzlof"

_Fifteen_  minutes later everyone was staring at the Commander in awe because he was sweating like crazy, breathing hard, and looking like he was about to collapse but he was still standing at the moment and had given the Sentinel a workout even with a few Force moves that bordered on illegal in the minds of some of both the newer and older Starfleet officers that weren't familiar with Jedi and their abilities

"How much longer can they go on?"

"What do you mean Ensign?"

"It's been fifteen minutes  _fifteen_  I highly doubt the Commander at the very least will last much longer but I get the feeling he won't surrender and will keep going until he passes out, which it looks like he's about to"

"If that happens Ensign then I will take his place, I get now why the Commander is doing what he is, though he's a bit foolish having never been around either a Jedi or a Sentinel before"

"But Lt. Commander..."

"No buts Ensign I know what I'm doing"

"Do you Lt.? I know for a fact that you too have never dealt with a Jedi or Sentinel considering you've served the entire time with...us...you know how to fight Sentinel's don't you?"

"Yes I learned the hard way in the one classified mission and no I still can't tell you guys what happened on that mission, except a few details now and one of them is that it wasn't the Sentinel's fault that I had to fight them it was...due to an artifact, you know I think some of the Jedi that have gone Sith are being forced to by Sith artifacts"

"Which means the Jedi Council will most likely be lenient on them because of that"

"Exactly which is a good thing"

Just then the Commander lost consciousness but it was obvious Sentinel Tranzlof was still in need of a good fight

"Okay Sentinel, my turn"

The Lt. Commander just jumped right in and five minutes later took down the Sentinel and everyone noticed he was carrying a hypospray

"Okay what's the hypo for?"

"This has a special sedative that Sentinel Portland helped develop for Starfleet, I've kept it on me ever since a classified mission about two years ago, unfortunately because the mission is classified all I can tell you is that it involved a Sentinel in a similar situation where we had no other choice but to fight them but the circumstances were radically different"

"Why would Portland tell you how to knock us Jedi out?"

"Because she knew that there might be times where Jedi either needed help sleeping, and that's happened with her a few times or something would happen that would force us to sedate them for whatever reason, either being under another's influence or this situation where emotions are high and the Force inhibitor either doesn't work or isn't the best thing for them"

"That makes sense then, she would want Starfleet prepared at all times, but why have you kept a sedative on you for so long after that classified mission?"

That's when an Admiral spoke up

"That's actually on our orders Master Korran you see we knew that there was a possibility that he might be in a situation where a Sentinel needs to be taken down safely, though we didn't know when or if that would ever happen so we told him to keep that sedative on him at all times in case he ever encountered a Sentinel again and needed to take them out, whether they were serving with him or he just happened to be at a location on another assignment and a Sentinel happened to have a breakdown, or a Jedi now that I think about it"

"Wouldn't it have been better to fight Sentinel Tranzlof until he passed out then?"

"Actually no he was at a point where I either had to stop it or he would have lost more control over his emotions which would have been dangerous"

"How so Lt.?"

"Easy, I learned during my classified mission the...moods I guess you could call it of Sentinel's, not necessarily Jedi but definitely Sentinel's because I know Starfleet training as well as any other officer unfortunately the one problem with Sentinel's is they have training on top of Starfleet training which means that you have to really know and understand both training periods to start to learn how to read the moods of Sentinel's and even then it won't always be easy"

"Okay then how did you manage during your classified mission?"

"Files given to Starfleet about the training of the Jedi given from the Jedi archives and several hours of not only reading but also seeing the training sessions, mainly the different stages"

"How many hours in total did you watch?"

"Um...about fifty hours in total"

"That's not nearly enough"

"Actually that's the maximum amount available because there are things that Master Skywalker and the rest of the council didn't allow to be video taped"

"Okay then, well I think for now we should take the Commander and Sentinel Tranzlof to sickbay so that they can both receive medical attention and then...then we're going to continue to deal with the Sith and enemy invader issue. Ensign Bridge I need you to do a check and see if Rogue Squadron and the Jedi they were escorting have arrived yet and if they have their current location so that we know where they are and if they are in any position to help Earth even a little bit by making sure to harass the fleet further away from the planet"

"Right away sir"

Through that conversation the Admiral discovered that the group the Republic had sent had indeed arrived but they were spread out and one ship was actually in Earth's orbit as part of it's defense and they sent an update that was sorely needed, unfortunately because of the fact that neither computer had auto translating at the moment what they got was illegible to basically everyone except the Sentinel's because the written report was in galactic basic which was a good thing because that meant anyone from the Republic could translate what was sent


	51. Chapter 51

"Okay I need a Sentinel to come translate this...mess for me"

A Entry Sentinel went over and simply nodded her head

"It's written in galactic basic which anyone from the Republic can translate so I should be done in...oh about five minutes depending on how long the report is"

"Good, I want it as soon as you finish the translation in case it's something important"

The translation ultimately took ten minutes because there was a bit of Ryl involved and while the Sentinel knew Ryl due to how interesting that language was and how things were phrased it took a little longer to phrase then basic but finally the Sentinel finished and instantly took the report to all the Admirals because all of them needed the update

"Thank you Sentinel get back to work if you're on shift"

A few days later there was a battle on the ground and in space when suddenly most of the Sith warriors suddenly stopped fighting and started acting confused

"Um Master Korran what are we doing wherever we are?"

(Sighs) "I can't tell you right now because there's a lot to be done"

A few of the Jedi turned Sith really had decided to become Sith of their own free will and had to be taken down but over the next few days they discovered that most of the Jedi turned Sith had been affected by a Sith artifact and so while they were punished it wasn't as severe as it could have been, they mainly had to help rebuild from the damage they had caused and fight against their former masters which they did both gladly

"Though the rebuilding will have to wait until we take care of the enemy"

"Indeed, you should know that Portland is dead, they killed her"

"Okay, thanks for informing us, that's one more thing to consider once and if they go to trial"

The fighting continued for a long time but finally on the one year anniversary of declaring Ashland dead they finally managed to take care of the enemy

"Now we shall rebuild and do what we can do find Ashland's body or barring that finally give her a final Jedi funeral and burn her lightsaber"

"How long do we wait until we burn her lightsaber?"

"Six months, we know she's most likely dead but it would help everyone finally properly mourn with a body to burn"

"You're right"

"In the meantime we need to rebuild and finally officially declare her death in her files"

They tried to access the files and that's when they discovered  _exactly_  what Portland had done the night she knocked out the guards and went missing eventually to be declared dead

"Sir the files are gone...looks like there was a massive data transfer some where's and then all our files on Portland and Jedi even the files from the archives were deleted"

"Can you get them back?"

"Not from here, looks like we have to go to where they are actually stored to regain access to the files and it looks like once we access from where they are the entire system will be restored and we can gain access from anywhere in the galaxy again"

"Where are the files located?"

"Um that's the thing I'm not entirely sure, looks like Portland left a few clues along the way so that we could find the files but if they were ever hacked the enemy wouldn't know so they would never figure it out"

"What about during the period of Sith activity?"

"That's the brilliance of what Portland did, she phrased it in a way that only Starfleet officers would know what she was talking about but needed the help of Jedi to understand the location"

"Sentinel's then"

"Exactly, either that or the two groups working together because she knew that there was a possibility of all the Sentinel's currently in Starfleet dying"

"True that, so what's the first clue then?"

"Can that wait until we're surrounded by Jedi and Sentinel's?"

"Oh you have a point"

Fifteen minutes later they were gathered together in a conference room

"Okay we no longer have access to Portland's files or any information about Jedi even information sent via the archives that the Jedi Council allowed us to access is lost"

"How is that possible?"

"Remember when Portland went missing and knocked out those guards?"

"Oh that's what she was doing at that console then"

"Exactly, now then here's the first riddle she gave us, Ensign?"

"The first is the last and the last is the first, hidden in plain sight yet never found, a message from the dead will begin the hunt"

"That makes no sense to us Jedi"

"It vaguely makes sense to Starfleet because of the fact that we know Republic history and the names of the planets but we don't fully understand this either, she never gave us the name of the planet but she mentioned how Master Skywalker was told to find someone named Yoda on a planet when he was near death and he left the Rebellion fleet to find this Yoda on a jungle planet"

"Well the only time that happened was on Hoth, which is an icy planet but as for where he found Yoda he never said, or if he did he never really described the planet or the name really well"

"That's a start, except for the part where the first is the last and the last is the first and the hidden in plain sight part"

"Wait Master Yoda was hidden in plain sight practically when he and Master Kenobi went into exile when Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader. As for the first part I think Master Yoda called Master Skywalker the last of the Jedi once he died"

"Then I get what the first part means, he was the last of the Jedi initially but he was the first of the New Jedi Order"

"Okay so does that mean we need to go to Hoth?"

"No, I think we need to go where Yoda was, what's the second riddle?"

"The test is passed but danger was sensed, to the city of clouds from the planet of vines"

"Well the city of clouds is clearly cloud city on Bespin but there are plenty of planets that have vines in the Republic so that doesn't give us much clues"

"Here's the final riddle as far as I can tell. Remember your training and remember your history, though most train on Coruscant the beginning was started in a swamp"

"Wait, a swamp, with vines and it's where Master Yoda hid until his death, of course the planet Dagobah, I remember a conversation once with Master Skywalker when I was a youngling and decided to ask where he was trained since I knew it happened before the Empire was finally taken down and he told me about Dagobah and where Master Yoda the most revered masters of the Jedi hid until his death and where he was trained"

"Then to Dagobah we will go, because we need to declare Portland dead and regain the files considering there are Jedi that have decided to stay here that might decide to join Starfleet and we've lost the ability to train anyone much less Jedi unfortunately"

"Will we see if we can still get there in two weeks or the old six and a half months to give us time?"

"We go fast enough to get us there in two weeks"

"Okay then"

Two weeks later they got to Dagobah and soon was able to access the files that were deleted by Portland including her own personnel file and her diaries and logs and that's when they learned about the vision she saw when she "died"

"That's why she did what she did"

"Exactly, and the reason why we lost all our files, she made sure that if we were ever hacked they would never discover how to take down the Jedi and Sentinel's"

"So in six months it will have been one and a half years since we were forced to declare her dead"

"Yes, and we have yet to find her body"

"Then once we get back to Earth let us give her a Jedi funeral even if it's just her lightsaber that is burned it is still a part of her and will work symbolically at the very least"

"But is that her wish?"

"She never really stated what she wanted for her funeral, even after all these times she's been thought dead, I know she was going to mention that in an updated will that she was working on before her death but I don't think she ever managed to get the changes completed and made official"

"Very well then, let's do it"

So they do exactly that. Meanwhile where Ashland was she had been blinded on the day that the war ended having taken the blame for another person. She continued to persevere though for another year and a half while Earth rebuilt the planet decided to join the Dominion which had in turn joined the Federation a year before Ashland would be discovered alive. They decided to help with the final bits of resistance since they were officially part of the Dominion and when they got to the cave that would be when it was discovered that Ashland was alive. That day everyone heard fighting and soon enough the chains were taken off via phasers hitting in just the right spot

"Hey guys what exactly is going on out there?"

"Aliens are fighting our captures and...it looks like for one of the aliens solid objects aren't a problem and another alien with something coming from it's neck is calling it a Founder"

"The Dominion, okay time to fight back, let's see if I lost any skills I know"

She bends down and picks up an item

"Okay quick question what am I holding?"

"A piece of pipe, there's a pick ax to your left if you want to use that instead"

"Nope the pipe is perfect...yes it's most definitely perfect in regards to the length and weight"

She suddenly goes out and even though she has a collar on she starts fighting whoever attacks her when suddenly before she hit someone she was told to stop


	52. Chapter 52

"Let me get this collar off of you before you continue fighting because it's making you off balance"

"My thanks, though I thought I was doing well considering they blinded me"

"Wait you're blind and can still fight?"

"Yep, also went through a whipping session recently too so my back is a bit sore but I can fight"

"One moment...there it's off"

"Much better, now it's not shocking me every five minutes, what about the control console for the others? I know for a fact that I'm not the only one with a collar"

"We're working on that, but it's safe to simply remove the collars from their person if you know how to unlock the thing"

"Good to know...watch out"

Suddenly the Jem'Hadar was shoved aside just as the slave simply lifted their hand and the object just stopped in mid air and then dropped to the ground. Once that was done the person they took the collar off was a whirlwind of activity the likes they hadn't seen in a while, and it was almost as if the person was even more aware of the battlefield then before

"Founder is it just me or is that person acting like a Jedi or Starfleet Sentinel?"

"They are acting  _exactly_  like a Jedi or Starfleet Sentinel would act, but there shouldn't be...it's not possible is it?"

"Founder?"

"Later, first we need to take care of the rest of the guys"

Just as the Founder said that Ashland knocked one of her captures out cold

"Though it looks like she's more effective"

Finally the battle ended and everyone was started to being looked over. They soon get to Ashland who they knew was blind but other than that they had no history or even her name

"We think we can fix your eyesight but how did you know how to fight blind before we took the collar off and what was with the moves afterwords?"

"Well that's good news for my eyesight as for the rest First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland reporting in after three years being captive, and also most likely being declared dead"

"Yes you're supposed to be dead"

"Nope taken captive, knew that was a possibility but I also knew that they could just as easily kill me so I was mentally prepared for both, though I wasn't prepared to become a slave"

"Well that won't happen anymore because this planet is now part of the Dominion and the Dominion is now part of the Federation"

"Well that's good news...um have you guys regained access to the files I transferred and then deleted?"

"Yes, and it was smart sending it all to Dagobah but still did you have to use riddles?"

"Yes just in case the enemy decided to try and access those files too as long as they didn't have any Jedi turned Sith they wouldn't have a clue as to what was going on and even then they would need Starfleet officers to get to the end"

"That's true, um you should know that we burned your lightsaber"

"Kind of expected that actually and it's okay I can always make a new one seeing as how my spare is also gone"

"What makes you think your spare is gone?"

"Simple I sort of lost it shortly before we got back to Earth, the one you burned was my spare lightsaber seeing as how my original lightsaber got destroyed earlier"

"Oh, well for now we do need to get you in contact with a few people and also need to fix your eyesight seeing as how while you are very effective even when blinded I would think you would like to see now...if it's reversible"

"Oh it's reversible alright, considering they used acid to blind me, it might just take a longer treatment then normal because of the fact that I've been blind for a long while now without treatment"

"They should have the equipment on the main battleship which I will be sending you to, by the way when will you contact Starfleet Command and the Jedi Council to tell them that you're alive...oh and is this going to affect things once you're confirmed alive again?"

"No it shouldn't because of procedures put in place long ago, and I think I should make contact first and medical second"

"Fine, just make sure that you do get your eyesight seen to, sorry to say that it looks freaky that blind eyes can just stare at me and I know that you can sense everything around you still because of the Force that you Jedi can use"

"Yeah, not many people can handle blank eyes staring at you and I understand that, so how soon will I be on the ship again?"

"Soon, I just need to contact the ship to let them know about you"

"Works for me"

"Are you sure that waiting longer for treatment won't change the fact that it will work?"

"Yes, I am because of the method used to blind me, we can treat acid burns like it's nothing now it's just how long it takes for treatment to work that differentiates depending on how long it's been since the initial injury"

"And what about this so called Healing trance I've heard Jedi can do?"

"That will help once initial treatment is started but only in the fact that it will accelerate healing and the treatment program only and not by much"

"Fine, for now they're ready for transport"

"Excellent and will I have access to the bridge immediately so that I can report in?"

"Yes you will and yes we have access to Starfleet Command, the Jedi Council and for some reason the Republic Senate"

"That's because you never know if there are Starfleet officers that need to get in touch for some reason and there's a Senate meeting or something concerning Federation refugees is going on and the Senate themselves need to make contact"

"And there's a possibility of it being routed through us for whatever reason right?"

"Exactly, though it probably won't happen very often"

"Well we've actually sent some of our own representatives since we joined the Federation so that we could get a better understanding of the Republic from first hand accounts and not files sent to us after we joined. Their assignment will only last about a year or two but that should give us a good idea about the Republic right?"

"Exactly, it took me a little longer only because of the fact that I had to do major debriefing in that first year so it took me three years instead"

"Right, well Vorta 12 to  _Sha'radan_  one to beam up"

Ashland is soon beamed up

"I request that I be escorted to the bridge first before I get any medical treatment"

"Why it looks like you could use some healing"

"I do need medical attention but I also need to do something else first that's critical"

"Fine"

Two minutes later they were on the bridge

"Captain, this civilian says she needs to be on the bridge for some reason"

"What do you need miss?"

"I need to make contact with the Jedi Council and Starfleet Command, the Admiralty to be more specific, and you'll understand why as soon as I identify myself to the two groups"

Two minutes later Ashland hears two familiar voices one right after the other

"Why have you contacted us?"

"A civilian wishes to speak with you"

Ashland then steps up to the viewscreen and they could tell that she was blind but nothing else because they weren't really paying attention

"Okay, you can probably tell I am blind and what I have to say is going to affect you guys very quickly, Master I know that you will quickly be able to confirm what I am about to tell you even from the Republic. First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland reporting in after three years of captivity"

"It can't be Portland died three years ago"

"Actually Admiral she's telling the truth I can sense it, it's really her"

"Now then I know I have really major debriefs to do with both groups but I prefer a written report for the moment, we can go over it again verbally at a later date if need be, for now though as you can tell by my appearance I need medical attention, and also a new assignment since I'm sure that I've been replaced on the  _Republic Alliance_  by now"

"Fine, written reports will be okay for now but right now I think everyone needs to know how you're not dead having been killed three years ago, the Sentinel's that didn't have the inhibitors on felt it that night Portland, they felt your death"

"Yeah, they  _thought_  they felt my death, what they really felt was a blasted Force inhibitor that was extremely painful being put on me and then I was eventually taken to the planet I am currently orbiting and was a slave for three years, found the Sith artifact that was affecting most if not all of the Jedi that went code Anakin Skywalker but was chained up so I couldn't really do much to help at that time"

"Okay then, that will do for now for the Jedi Council at least and we also know that what you've said is accurate because that ship was destroyed a few weeks after your 'death' and most of the Jedi returned to normal and we confirmed that they were simply under Sith artifact influence so they weren't punished too severely, the few that were genuine Sith were quickly taken care of"

"Understood Master, anything else you need to know or is there anything that Starfleet Command needs to know before I get medical attention?"

"Yes actually, about the Force suggestion of the security guards when you messed with the console?"

"That was necessary because I could sense that time was of the essence and they would have argued against me leaving the premises technically without permission even though Sentinel's can invoke special authorization whenever it comes to the Force but the guards that night were still pretty new to both Starfleet and the abilities of the Sentinel's so they might have argued still seeing as how they didn't have the mandatory Sentinel with them for some reason"

"Ah that was because of a schedule mix up that was quickly corrected. And you're right you do have special dispensation whenever it comes to the Force...is that what happened that night?"

"That's exactly what happened"

"Very well then, you may still be punished but it won't be as severe because it was necessary, just how urgent was the vision or feeling in the Force?"

"Immediate consequences urgent"

Both the Admiralty and Jedi Council winced at hearing that because it was extremely rare to get either a vision or feeling in the Force that urgent and both groups knew that too, for someone to get both was unheard of before literally, this was the first time anyone had heard of it


	53. Chapter 53

"Okay there's a small possibility that there won't be any punishment at all, well get yourself treated for you blindness and then write up your report and while we're doing that we'll get your new assignment sorted out and also a message to all Sentinel's explaining the fact that you're alive and back to being the primary Sentinel in charge of the group"

"And we'll inform the Jedi that you're alive too just in case there are any in the Federation at the moment besides the Sentinel's because while we don't have any assigned to the Federation at the moment we can't be entirely sure all the Jedi returned after the war"

"Very well, see most of you guys soon then"

Ashland then leaves to get the medical attention she needed. Once that was done since she still needed rest and time for the treatment to work she asked about a holodeck and activated one of her favorite meditation programs because she had missed meditating the past three years she was held captive, especially meditation in the Force because she had gotten to meditate twice since her captivity but never in the Force because of the inhibitor, when someone entered she didn't even register them because of just how deep her meditation was and that person decided to simply meditate as well since they could tell that the person meditating wasn't going to budge without being touched for a while and they could also sense that the meditation was needed for some reason though they didn't know why or recognize the person because they were new to Starfleet and also part of an exchange program because while the Dominion was now considered part of the Federation because of the wormhole the Dominion basically functioned autonomously and pretty much the same way as before so the two military's needed to adapt to each other and thus the exchange program was activated to help both groups with the transition. Two hours later Ashland finally comes out of meditation and while she was still blind she felt much better and more under control with her emotions then she had for three years and she also sensed the other presence

"Excuse me am I needed for something?"

"Actually no, but I came in here for some training but instead saw the meditation programs running so I decided to join you, um who are you anyways?"

"First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland, who's been KIA for the past three years apparently"

"Um, I transferred from my planet's defense to Starfleet not that long ago, what's a Sentinel?"

"Oh, um did you even attend the Academy for any period of time when you transferred?"

"Yes but only for a year to get their history"

"Okay then you heard about the Republic and their defenders the Jedi?"

"Yes...oh that's what a Sentinel is, of course I forgot that Jedi go by a different ranking system then us because of the fact that they're a bit different from regular Starfleet officers"

"Exactly, see you knew what a Sentinel was I just needed to jog your memory was all"

"But wait, what do you mean by being KIA for the past three years?"

"I was taken captive by the people of this planet but everyone thought me dead because of a Force inhibitor, that has since been dealt with and I have made my verbal report so now I have to do a written report and as such I need to be led to my temporary quarters"

"I'll take you there because I overheard that the person in medical that was blinded would be bunking with me seeing as how I'm as close to human as you've gotten for a long time now I guess"

"What planet were you part of?"

"Trill, I decided to join Starfleet because I felt my skills would be put to better use there"

"I see, well for now you lead and I will follow, because I really do need to write my report but I couldn't resist my first meditation period in almost two years"

Ashland is led to her quarters and writes a detailed report which takes over an hour for her to finish and then she goes to sleep, only to be woken up not three hours later at alarms going off and her partner yelling at her to get a move on

"What's going on?"

"Trouble, we might be boarded if that's the case, here take this and blast them"

She's tossed something which she easily catches and Ashland quickly feels the instrument and figures out what it was

"A phaser rifle, haven't touched one of these in a while"

"I know, now then that's locked permanently on stun so if you need to kill the intruders you won't be able to do so unless you switch to another weapon that's not locked on stun, you'll also need to be able to tell friend from foe somehow"

"Don't worry the Force has that covered for me I'll be able to tell who to shoot and who not to shoot even in the midst of chaos"

"Okay then, get to the infirmary that's where we've decided to station you"

"Works for me"

"One more thing, once this is over you have another eye treatment headed your way"

"But it hasn't been that long since my last treatment, we always have to wait at least a day between treatments otherwise it's not effective for a while"

"Ah, that was before, there's a new approved treatment that works faster for cases like yours"

"Oh, didn't know that"

"I know, now get moving Sentinel we have a ship to possibly defend"

Ashland quickly goes to what she calls sick bay in her head and stays in a relatively defensible position and actually senses when intruders board the ship so she prepares to stun the enemy into submission or if that doesn't work she knew she could kill the enemy with her Defender's Righteous Fire, she just didn't have that many attacks that could do that because Jedi always tried for the peaceful way first and killed only when necessary. It would turn out that the stun setting would work for the few that managed to get to the sick bay where they were quickly either drugged into further submission because of injuries they had sustained getting there or were quickly gathered and put into the ship's brig

"Though if we get too many more prisoners we're going to have to modify a cargo hold as a prison cell and that's going to complicate things"

"Hey I could help with that seeing as how I'm a Jedi and can do wonders for containing prisoners"

"With a Force suggestion?"

"Either that or I could easily use either the Force to hold them still or my Defender's Righteous Fire abilities to make a sort of cage that they wouldn't dare to escape"

"Let's hold off on that for now and simply see if our brig will work"

"Fine by me, now then I need to get another eye treatment so I'll do that now"

"Okay, how's your eyesight anyways?"

"Still blind, though I thought I saw shadows for a moment but then I saw nothing again so who knows I may have briefly regained my eyesight or it was hopeful wishing"

"Either way the treatments will work soon enough and you'll be able to see again"

"Yeah and then I need to go to Ilum to make both my main lightsaber and then my spare lightsaber, the reason why is because it was made mandatory by Starfleet that Sentinel's have at least two lightsabers at all times just in case and the Jedi Council agreed with them and as such also made it mandatory, though that actually means I need to make three lightsabers instead of two"

"Why three?"

"Because the second mandatory lightsaber of a Jedi is in the Senate building, while for Starfleet the second mandatory lightsaber has to be on the ship in a secure location"

"Um what if something happens to the Senate building in the Republic?"

"Jedi can still get in and get their lightsabers through a secret way though I can't explain or show you those ways"

"Oh makes sense, so you're going to be going to the Republic as soon as you're recovered?"

"Yes I have to if I am to obey the rules of both Starfleet and the Council"

"But I thought you were to be reassigned to a ship"

"Oh I will be assigned to a new ship, but that ship will have orders to take me to Ilum as soon as they have me on board because of the rules Starfleet has set up for Sentinel's"

"How long will this take you?"

"I have absolutely no idea to be honest with you, however I do know that only when I complete the mission will Starfleet be able to send us out on more...Starfleet oriented missions"

"Why can't the Dominion take you?"

"Sorry but things are a bit too unstable for right now for them to be taking me to the Republic"

"How are things unstable?"

"The planet they rescued me from just became part of the Dominion, both the planet and the Dominion need time to adjust to the situation and I have a feeling that there's going to be more Jem'Hadar on the planet then is normal for a little while and the rest will be on regular patrol, especially because the Dominion also just recently joined the Federation so they  _really_  need some stability before they can do what I need to do which is going to the Republic"

Just then a Founder came to their quarters and asked for Portland

"What is it?"

"Change of plans, you're heading to DS9, your new assignment has a supply drop off there and that's where they will then pick you up, easier for both groups"

"So they drop off the supplies, pick me up and then we head to the Republic?"

"That's what we've been told by Starfleet Command"

"Okay, um when's my next treatment for then?"

"Early tomorrow morning, and I do mean early, and if necessary your ship will complete the treatment they have already been informed that you were blinded while in captivity, we just got a message from your new ship stating that if need be they will finish the treatment you need"

"So you basically got two messages at once then"

"Yes we did"

"Well if I'm going to get treatment tomorrow I guess I should get some sleep then"

"Might I suggest a Healing trance then?"

"No not unless I'm in their version of sick bay where I can be monitored, granted there are a few times that it's unavoidable to go into the trance alone but it's not a good thing because Healing trances can be extremely dangerous if not properly monitored"

"Why's that?"

"Because if we go too deep into the trance we may not be able to get ourselves out of the trance alone, in fact going too deep into the trance could potentially kill a Jedi especially if they're alone, there's still a risk with medical personnel around you but it's dramatically decreased because of how closely you're being monitored. Even a regular Jedi can help another Jedi in a Healing trance if it starts to get too deep because all Jedi are trained to recognize the warning signs of a Healing trance going too far, though it's always better for a Healer to be there all Jedi are field medics, we have to be because of the fact that we won't always have a Healer on the team or even in a place that will treat Jedi properly, either because they don't have the facilities to do so or because they don't like Jedi and will refuse to treat them"

The next day Ashland got her eye treatment but then was sedated so that she could get some restful sleep and potentially go under into the Healing trance under observation which she did indeed do that. A day later they were nearing the wormhole which meant that Ashland would have to be woken up soon because they would be at DS9 but they didn't have to because Ashland woke up on her own

"Hey...so this is what a Jem'Hadar infirmary looks like"

"You can see?"

"Yep full vision, so we're going home soon then?"

"Yes, oh by the way the Dominion has changed to standard view screens which means no more head aches for any humans on the bridge"

"What made you guys decide that? I know for a fact that the Federation wouldn't have forced you to change anything about your ships"

"We made that decision shortly before we joined the Federation because we realized just how much pain we were causing normal people who used the eye piece and since we knew that there was always a possibility of Starfleet officers joining our ships if we ever joined the Federation we made the decision to change our view screens to accommodate them and it was an easy change actually, and allows for dual conversations at need"

"Well as long as it wasn't forced on you I can accept that, who knows it might have been worse for a Jedi due to the fact that we have the Force and as such can sense things before they can be seen sometimes which means we might have been more affected due to a slight chemical difference in our bodies to normal humans"

The next day Ashland arrived on DS9 and was greeted by Captain Sisko and was informed her ship was being slightly delayed in arriving


	54. Chapter 54

"What happened?"

(Sighs) "Captain Anderson said that there were a few problems getting the supplies they need to drop off here, the negotiations have been on going since even before they arrived at the planet they were supposed to pick the supplies up"

"Okay, I get what's going on, red tape, how long do I have to wait?"

"Unknown Sentinel Portland"

"Right, guess I'm on leave unless something happens or you decide to give me something to do"

"No you're on leave until your ship arrives, allow yourself to get used to the Federation again after what you've been through you've earned it"

"Understood Captain"

Just then they lost all gravity in the station and the comms were down as well

"Okay I need to get to work"

She suddenly pushes herself off from the bulkhead like it was nothing and reaches the top floor of the Promenade which surprised everyone considering no one else was capable of moving at the moment

"Computer, potential reasons for loss of gravity and station wide communication?"

"This station has been sabotaged"

"Right, okay computer activate emergency Jedi protocol Omega, Beta, Theta, Sigma, Epsilon 1195 authorization code Portland 7 Alpha 2 Omega Omega 9, then activate emergency Sentinel protocol Delta, Alpha, Omega, Sigma, Sigma, Theta authorization code Portland 7 Alpha 2 Omega Omega 9"

"Protocols activated"

Suddenly everyone felt like there was normal gravity once more but considering everyone was still floating they knew it was just an illusion, they also saw the station go to yellow alert all on it's own and the comm system was restored and Sisko was told that the shields went up and the weapons systems on standby on their own

"Right, Sentinel Portland what  _exactly_  did you do?"

"No one but me is trained in zero gravity situations, I'll explain why I am a little later but not until the current situation is under control. Now then when the computer mentioned sabotage I realized that what's actually happened is that the station has been taken over by hostile forces that are currently cloaked, and no you can't detect these cloaks for some reason so I activated the stations defense systems, giving us a chance to survive long enough to fight back. The one program makes you feel like normal gravity is back on making it  _slightly_  easier to move about but if you're floating with nothing there to help you get a start you're not going any where's, that's the Jedi program it was designed by me before we ever got the designation of Sentinel's when I was at the academy and I wanted to remind myself a little bit of home, the Sentinel program is what activated the stations defense systems but it did so much more than that. It's currently making sure nothing else is affected like the life support systems or any other potentially critical systems that I might not be aware of, it also makes sure non critical systems are temporarily shut off so that all the power available goes to the critical systems and the protection program currently running"

"Can you do anything else?"

"Actually yes I can, if I meditate I might be able to get inside their minds and convince them to let us go but only with your permission Captain"

"Let's not do that yet, I know it's sometimes allowed but until it becomes absolutely necessary no Force suggesting the enemy"

"Yes sir, if they board I will need a phaser and of course I have no lightsaber currently"

"Oh you're going to be busy with those aren't you?"

"Ah so you know both Starfleet and Jedi Council policy when it comes to Jedi and Sentinel's"

"Yep, you have to make three lightsabers at once, but will the Force let you?"

"Don't worry it will, now then about that phaser"

That's when Constable Odo speaks up

"I believe I can handle that Captain, you should get back to Ops"

"Right and Odo make sure no one causes trouble, even though it's highly unlikely they could just keep an eye on people to make sure"

"Of course Captain, but I do have one question for Sentinel Portland what about the races that live on little to no gravity planets?"

"Oh the system did a quick species scan before activating the gravity controls, well pseudo activating the gravity controls I should say, everyone is feeling the weight they would naturally feel on their home planet, or if they live in space frequently and work and live on board ships normal ship gravity"

"And what about you and any other Sentinel's?"

"All Sentinel's except for me will feel normal ship gravity, but the system can also detect when I am there, helps that my activation code was used this time because I designed this specifically with the thought that I have anti gravity training in mind, so I feel just like before the program was activated but it won't be noticeable to normal people because everyone is able to move around more easily now. Though I wouldn't suggest trying to be too far from the ground and you do need some sort of starting measure to move about initially but after that normal movement"

"Okay, what do you need to do now Portland?"

""Ops, I need to go to Ops to see if I can't fix this from there, besides we need to try the diplomatic approach apparently and that can only be done in Ops...unless we're boarded but if that happens then we'll have to fight because I get the feeling that if we're boarded they will slaughter us"

(Sighs) "Odo make sure that even trained civilians have phasers"

"Sir you're not going to activate  _those_  protocols are you?"

"If it saves lives then yes Constable Odo I am going to activate  _those_  protocols, and Sentinel Portland I will debrief you on those protocols after this crisis is dealt with"

"Fine by the way, I'm taking the phaser Lt."

"Wha..."

Suddenly her arm goes up and a security officer suddenly loses his phaser from where it had been located just moments before

"Sentinel Portland..."

"Captain I do believe that the Lt. has neglected to tell either you or Constable Odo something for the past...two days I assume, actually he also hasn't told Doctor Bashir,  _which he should have done so immediately_  and he knows it too don't you Lt.?"

(Sighs) "Sentinel Portland it appears that the stories about Jedi are true, how long have you known?"

"Suspected the moment I saw you, confirmed it when we suddenly lost gravity only for everyone to pseudo regain it all of a sudden"

(Sighs) "I'll report to Doctor Bashir"

"Fine but you do know it will have to go further than normal because of your stupidity right?"

"I know"

"What is going on you two?"

"Sorry Captain, forgot you didn't know, the Lt. is injured, pretty badly from what I can tell and he never told anyone which is  _completely_ against protocol I might add, he's unfit for duty as such I took his phaser to sort of force him to get medical care that he needs"

"I will personally escort him to sick bay Sentinel, Captain seeing as how he's my man I should have noticed it sooner and as such will take responsibility to ensure he gets the medical attention he needs"

"Okay Odo, best do it now then, oh and Portland I think you have some explaining to do as to how and why you do zero gravity training"

"Naturally Captain, but like I said after the crisis yeah?"

"Of course, now then let's get to Ops and hope the solution can be found there"

"It should be...unless there's something that affects the system in another area of the station...like it's power source"

"I'll have O'Brian send one of his techs since he'll be needed on Ops"

They soon get to Ops to discover everyone having slight difficulty getting around but it was also very obvious that it was easier than it had been in the moments of pure weightlessness

"Okay we need to get our systems back up, what Sentinel Portland did is only a temporary solution"

"Captain Sisko's right, we need the station working fully again so any ideas?"

It would take three hours but finally they managed to get the station back online and also make the people who affected the station to back off and leave the area

"So Sentinel Portland about the explanation of how you can move about in zero gravity"

"Right, it actually happened before I became an official Padawan. You see I lost my intended Master on a mission before he could come and get me to begin our official Padawan/Master journey so I was supposed to be sent to the Agricultural Corps for three months to allow some of the Knights that had been on assignment at that time to finish and then I would be reevaluated to see if any of them would choose me or I would be permanently assigned to the Education Corp where if I ever got lucky I  _might_  meet a Knight who would make me their Padawan and if not I would have eventually tested for Knight status within the Education Corp. Well on the way there the ship was attacked and we were left drifting in space with zero gravity working on the ship, so we had to adapt and learn how to move in that environment and it lasted a whole month because of all sorts of issues getting rescue to us. It would be my Master that ultimate rescued us and as soon as we saw each other and started working together the Master/Padawan bond formed and I simply went back to Coruscant with her to make it official. After that my Master decided that zero gravity training would be included in my education at every opportunity because you never knew what trouble someone could get into on a Jedi mission. After I came to the Federation and joined Starfleet I decided to continue that training in secret and whenever possible I trained in the holodeck which can make any environment you need while still being safe and since I was simply doing zero gravity training I knew it would be perfectly safe at all times, of course I was busted within the first three months of my secret training but only by the Admiralty and only because of the fact that they wanted to do a test on my abilities seeing as how they had yet to see anything that a Jedi could do. After I graduated whenever I had the day off if I wasn't doing Jedi training I was doing zero gravity training, and no Captain I was never angry that zero gravity training was required in the Academy in fact I was quite glad it wasn't because that meant that while you guys prepared for practically every scenario it meant that the possibility of losing gravity was so low that it wasn't a concern which in my mind was a good thing. I simply continued the training I had in the Republic because by that time it was natural for me and was actually a part of my routine"

"That training helped a great deal today that's for sure, while it probably won't be mandatory, I might make a suggestion to the Academy that they at least subject there students to zero gravity training at least once in case something like this should happen again"

"I already made that suggestion Captain and as far as I can tell it hasn't happened yet so it might not happen ever or if it does it will be because of a harsh lesson, now then about the protocols that you and Constable Odo were arguing about"

"Yes, well after we took care of the situation we were in when you were believed dead Starfleet decided that it would offer defense training to any civilians that were willing to learn so as to be a means of defending their home if Starfleet was either unable to be quickly available or a situation like today where the station is so big there might not be Starfleet officers in the immediate area and getting to a specific location would be difficult"

"Like the National Guard or Reserves on the old United States"

"Exactly"

"Makes sense then"

"So I do believe you're supposed to be on leave until your ship arrives"

"As long as nothing else happens yes I should be, though I'm a bit surprised I'm not being ordered to get some refreshment training in at the Academy"

"You'll see why once the  _New Hope_  arrives"

" _New Hope_ , that's the name of the ship, what class is it?"

"It's the newest ship in the  _Alliance_  class, built shortly before the stupid war and finished only days before you were rescued"

"Was it always going to be called  _New Hope_?"

"Yes actually it was, because after you were declared KIA we decided to name a ship that had something in common with you and while it wasn't going to be your name and wouldn't have been for several years until after your death if ever we decided to name it  _New Hope_  because that's what you and the Sentinel's gave us from the start, a new hope that we weren't alone and could have peaceful negotiations with races we had never heard of before"

"So when will they arrive?"

"Soon, they finally got the whole supply mess sorted out and are headed our way now"

"That's good to hear, I think I'll meditate for now and of course you'll let me know when my ship arrives because I'll need to board immediately"

"Exactly, though you'll actually need to come to Ops so that you can be teleported onto your ship"

"Got it"

Ashland goes to meditate and expects to either see visions, or sort through her memory again because that did sometimes happen whenever a Jedi meditated, so that they could sort through any emotions they might not have been able to sort through at the time or analyze what they had done to see if they could have done anything better. What she got though were images of a time period that she wasn't quite sure of, she also couldn't quite tell if it was a vision or a hidden memory at first but as she continued watching she realized she was seeing a missing three month period of her Academy years. When she opened her eyes she knew that she had to contact the Admiralty and confront them, but not in her quarters like she would normally because she realized that what she had seen could affect the entire Federation so it was best that the confrontation happen in Ops so that DS9 was one of the first groups prepared for potential trouble. When she arrived at Ops everyone was a bit surprised because they actually thought she was still meditating, either that or doing something else to help her relax or sleep

"Sentinel Portland what can we do for you?"

"Contact the Admiralty, immediately Captain, there's something we need to talk about and since it could affect Starfleet and the Federation I want you guys in on this conversation"

The Admiralty quickly answers knowing that Portland was currently on DS9 and as soon as they saw her on the viewscreen they knew something was up


	55. Chapter 55

"What can we help you with Sentinel Portland?"

"Why didn't you tell me I was a prisoner of terrorists for three months while at the Academy?"

"What exactly are you talking about?"

"Oh you know what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the missing three month period in my Academy records from when I was a third year cadet. You made me think I was in a coma for three months but that's a lie I was a prisoner and you never told me...what would you have done if I had a flashback during training or something else that seriously affected me?"

"We would have told you then. Portland you have to understand something, those three months were frantic for us because we had no way of contacting your people and we didn't know if we ever would. There's also the fact that we never found your captors despite all our searching. We found you quite by accident actually because while we were looking for you actively we weren't looking at the right places, the  _USS Saratoga_  was the ship that found you on Betazed, we had all the ships looking for you whenever possible once it was determined you were no longer on Earth but we didn't have a clue as to where you could be. You remained unconscious until the very day you arrived back at the Academy, and even then it took until that evening for you to wake up, and when you did it became clear pretty quickly that you didn't remember the past three months. When that was determined we decided to erase that period of time and make falsified records so that if you ever decided to question why you were missing three months of class work there would be an available explanation that you might not easily question because we didn't know how to explain a missing period of three months otherwise. If we were wrong to lie to you then we were wrong to lie to you but we did the best we could considering the circumstances of the period we were in in regards to Sentinel's"

(Sighs) "I know and understand that, unfortunately it's not a good thing I was missing three months of memory, especially now that I remember those three months. It turns out that the terrorists deliberately wiped my mind when they realized you guys were getting close, even for a routine mission such as the one I know the  _Saratoga_  had been on when they found me. They vowed they would return one day and that when they did I would remember them as a means to make me afraid of them due to the fact that they tortured me the entire time I was in their hands"

"What did they want?"

"Information on Starfleet, even though they knew I was a cadet they could tell I was different and as such wondered if I was privy to more security issues regarding Starfleet than most cadets would be. Unfortunately for them as a Jedi I can ignore pain at an incredible level especially if they give me a night's rest to recover. As such they don't make me too afraid of confronting them however I am worried that if they get someone and manage to break them they could bring Starfleet down with ease and I don't know how to stop them"

"We'll be ready, now then how would they try and break us?"

"Shut down our systems, give us false emergencies...I honestly don't know what they would do"

"Very well we'll basically prepare for anything, now then the  _New Hope_  should be there soon so be ready to report in at a moment's notice"

All of a sudden everyone heard a new voice, one that was not normally heard in a conversation between an Admiral and another officer mainly because of the nature of the comm system, but since this was on all channels it came through for everyone and for a reason too

"To all Starfleet Sentinel's this is Captain Hanson of the  _Braxton_ , we have a code Death Star, I repeat we have a code Death Star Entry Sentinel Sara Rylon told me to pass that one before her death"

"Captain Hanson this is First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland, did you manage to record her entire message before her death?"

"How do I know this is Sentinel Portland and not an impostor?, after all Sentinel Portland died three years ago"

"Guess you haven't gotten the notice quite yet, it's been proven I'm alive I was only a prisoner for three years. Now then did you record her final message?"

"Yes, as soon as we heard her voice we started recording in case she died on planet and we were forced to leave her there"

"Why did you leave her there?"

"Teleportation impossible somehow"

"Fine, now then what's the entire message Sentinel Rylon gave you?"

_Message_

"Captain, there's big trouble, a potentially newer, stronger enemy is amassing their forces and it looks like there could be cloning involved, either Kamino or Federation cloning I can't tell. Tell the Sentinel's that we have a code Death Star to deal with, they'll know what I mean and will translate it at the proper time. Tell the Jedi Council that they won't have to worry about my lightsaber because I made sure it was destroyed shortly after I was discovered seeing as how I saw the enemy put up a teleportation shield I know that you can't beam me back. It was an honor serving with you even for this short amount of time...well looks like you boys caught up to me that's fine, it's already too late anyways your plans have been discovered and revealed to the Federation. This is my final words as Entry Sentinel Sara Rylon...for the Federation!"

They hear the sound of blaster fire for a very brief moment before communications are cut and static is heard

_End of message_

"We cut communication and got out of there as fast as possible as soon as we realized we were losing our Sentinel we didn't...we didn't want to hear her death"

"That's understandable Captain" (sighs) "unfortunately we now have a very big problem on our hands. Code Death Star means that there's a big enemy base on the planet because when a code Death Star is mentioned it could involve a planet or space station, because either way it's a big enemy base"

"Why is it called code Death Star?"

"Have you read Republic history?"

"You mean the time of the Rebellion before the New Republic when it was known as the Empire?"

"Yep, rebel pilots managed to destroy both the first and second Death Star, the first was destroyed at the battle of Yavin while the second was destroyed at the battle of Endor. Both Death Stars would have been the size of a small moon had the second Death Star been completed like the first one was"

"Okay, that's trouble alright"

"Exactly...I do believe we should be on high alert until further notice Admirals"

"Agreed Sentinel Portland, agreed"

"One more thing, about Kamino clones, they can be killed as you know from the Clone Wars history but they are also bred to be soldiers if that's what's needed and they're slightly tougher but will age a lot sooner because of what's needed on the front lines so don't expect them to last longer than ten to fifteen years if even that long"

"Well for now we need to get in touch with the Republic because we might be sending refugees over once more sooner than expected. And Portland, the  _New Hope_  will be receiving new orders once you're on board"

"What will those orders be sir?"

"You will be home for at least two years depending on the enemy's movement longer if necessary"

"But sir..."

"Sorry Portland but I need you in the Republic"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't return once I have my lightsabers"

"Because of what we plan to do should the enemy be stronger than we estimated. We're going to activate the plan we mentioned when and if you ever made contact with the Republic again and we had a formal treaty between us"

Ashland gasps at the realization and practically whispers the plan being mentioned

"The Burning Galaxy plan" (louder) "sir are you absolutely  _sure_  you want to be thinking about that plan?, because if you go through with it nothing that we currently are will survive and you know it"

"What other choice do we have?, at least with The Burning Galaxy plan there will be a chance of regaining a semblance of government even if it's only in the Republic at first"

"Excuse me Admiral but just what is this Burning Galaxy plan?"

Ashland was the one to speak up though because of the fact that it would affect her the most

"Captain Sisko, The Burning Galaxy plan is a plan made by the Admiralty in my final year of the Academy when it was mentioned that there was a possibility of me finding my way home by accident, if that should ever happen there would be a treaty allowing both sides to succor refugees and that treaty has worked really well so far. Part of the treaty is that either side helps the other regain their home as quickly as possible but The Burning Galaxy plan is different. If there is an enemy so powerful that even a Sentinel is afraid then as many refugees as possible are gathered and sent to the Republic and once there the Starfleet vessel that escorts them, or a vessel sent ahead alerts the Republic Senate of the fact that the Federation has fallen and we need a place to form a semblance of government that people had back home. While the refugees are setting up a form of government that people are familiar with in the Republic the Federation and more specifically Starfleet will do everything they can to slow the enemy down while files and records and anything that could damage the refugees is destroyed, and yes that would include the history of many planets if not for the fact that it's being preserved in Republic archives by their request. Normally once we receive word the Federation has fallen the Republic will send aid as quickly as possible but that's not how it will work this time, this time the Republic is to wait at least five years before attempting to defeat the enemy"

"Why wait? because by that time the enemy will have established a new government and will be heavily entrenched"

"Exactly Captain Sisko, they will be heavily entrenched and that will give us the advantage"

"What do you mean?"

"Five years gives the enemy a chance to set up their own government and entrench themselves but it also gives enough time for a Rebellion to have formed and they too will be heavily entrenched, granted they might be pretty small because they won't be able to form for at least a year maybe a little longer, maybe even unable to form until shortly before we can come back but people will have made note of every base, every government building, every weapons cache. Targets either they or we can destroy, and if we time this right the rightful government will simply step right back in no problems with transition"

"That's a crazy plan you know that right?"

"The Admiralty knows that quite well Captain, which is why I hope they don't do it but they might so best be prepared now. It's also the reason why it's known as a last ditch plan"

"Well either way, we need to wait for the  _New Hope_  so that you can start your new assignment"

"Of course Captain, hopefully it should be here within the next two days"

"Exactly"

That night Ashland meditated and she got an intense vision that she knew would happen no matter what and she also realized that meant that the crew of the  _New Hope_  would be thought dead for a long period of time, the only thing that might change depending on her actions was how soon that would be. As soon as she came out of the vision she made a log that was to be sent to the Jedi Council at a specific trigger, and Ashland knew what that trigger would be, she also made sure to write down what the vision was for both Starfleet and the Council so that they understood why she hadn't said anything before. After all of that she finally went to sleep knowing she had to be in shape to report to her new commanding officer soon, but she also knew that if she couldn't sleep she was to report to Dr. Bashir for sleep aid, per Starfleet regulations that she established back when she was still in the Academy, but first she had one more thing to do before she crashed

"Computer wake me up at 0700 if I am not up before then"

"Acknowledged"

She goes to sleep knowing she had an alarm clock mainly because of the fact that she knew she needed to get in early morning practice the next day to make sure her skills were on par, even if that meant using a hologram of her lightsaber it was still lightsaber training for the first time in a while. Unfortunately she continued to wake up in the middle of the night because while she was no longer getting Force visions she was remembering several things jumbled up between the Republic and Federation

(Sighs)"OK time for sickbay, computer cancel alarm clock, allow medical personnel access if sensed in front of door with me due to potentially being unconscious"

She leaves and heads to sickbay where she receives a surprise, because she saw a bacta tank which was mandatory but it didn't look like a normal bacta tank, the doctor on duty noticed she was there and asked what she needed

"Sentinel friendly sedatives, I can't sleep, so I need help. Doctor just what is it with that bacta tank?"

"Ah that's something new that has only been tested twice, it doesn't have an official designation because no one's sure what to name the thing but it's a bacta tank that can also do carbonite freezing, giving the person longer to live while allowing the bacta to heal the wounds"

"Have any Jedi or Sentinel's been subjected to it?"

"Fortunately no so we don't know if there are any side effects for Sentinel's but for a normal person there's currently none that we know of"

"Who were your two test subjects?"

"An Ensign and Lt. both with severe injuries that would have killed them had we not frozen them to give them enough time to make it to higher level care"

"Okay how long has this system been in place though?"

"Since after your supposed death three years ago, we knew that there was nothing we could do to bring you back but if we could save at least one life that otherwise would have been lost we would take the chance"

"You guys do realize just how dangerous what you did was"

"Yes we know, due to the fact that it was an untested procedure there were many risks involved but everyone did it knowing the risks and also knowing that there might be ways to improve and make it safer if need be"

"No carbonite freezing is actually pretty safe, though you have to be careful to un-thaw the person correctly or there could be problems that would kill someone but otherwise what you did was okay I guess, it's just that it's never been done before is all"

"Okay, now then why exactly do you need Sentinel friendly sedatives?"

"Can't sleep, memories are keeping me up especially because they're all jumbled together between the Republic and Federation"

"Okay I'll give you one of the stronger sedatives then, do you want to go back to your quarters or stay here where I can monitor you?"

"Quarters, if you want though you can do remote sensing so that if there's a problem you'll know in enough time to act"

"Works for me"

Ashland is quickly given a sedative and a nurse makes sure she gets back to her temporary quarters safely because Ashland gave into the sedative within moments. Fortunately no one gave the two strange looks because there were times someone needed help getting to their quarters after going to medical, all Odo did was check to see exactly why it was needed and let the medical crew go on with their business. When he saw the nurse help Sentinel Portland back to her quarters though he knew something was up and decided to give the nurse a hand just in case, because either Ashland had sensed trouble that didn't allow her to sleep or memories, but either way when it came to a Sentinel Odo had developed a policy to check if they were being helped out of medical

"So what happened?"

"Her memories decided to overwhelm her tonight"

"So no security issues I need to be made aware of?"

"None that I know of"

"Well I'll help you just in case you need help getting into her quarters"

But when they arrived the quarters opened up no problems which meant Ashland had already given the computer preprogrammed instructions

"Looks like you didn't need my help after all, let's get her to the bed"

Ashland would remain asleep until 1000 hours and she needed that sleep too. Once she woke up she went to Quarks so that she could get in the training she needed so desperately because of how long she had been prisoner

"Okay, computer Jedi training program Alpha 1, lightsaber needed"

The holodeck automatically locks down because of the fact that it was a Jedi only program that needed to be locked. Ashland would remain there for three hours mostly working on the basics to make sure she wasn't that rusty but also doing several scenarios that ended either peacefully or in action depending on several actions

"Well, now that training's over I basically have the rest of the day to relax, seeing as how my ship doesn't arrive until tomorrow as long as everything goes well"

What Ashland didn't know was that the  _New Hope_  had managed to get to DS9 a little faster than expected because of the fact that the planet was closer than they thought so they arrived a little after her daily training was done

"Captain Sisko to Sentinel Portland"

"This is Sentinel Portland go ahead"

"Your ship is here a little early, to the surprise of both groups"

"Okay I'll be right up"

She gets to Ops and is promptly teleported to the  _New Hope_

"Permission to come aboard"

"Granted Sentinel Portland, my name is Captain Anderson and this is Commander Baron, the rest of the Command crew are currently busy but you will be meeting them..."

The Captain would never finish his speech because Ashland's eyes suddenly went very wide and she forced her way through the two of them and they followed because they realized that something big was going on for her to interrupt a greeting like that, but they missed the turbolift by just moments

"Engineering!"

Once Ashland was in Engineering she started pushing buttons and shoving people out of the way, she even brought down the newest containment barrier for the warp core that only went down the warp core and didn't block off an entire section of Engineering like the old designs did which meant a lot of more lives were saved if there was a problem with the warp core that a physical barrier was needed in order to save lives, now then it didn't mean lives weren't still lost in that section because there was a possibility of things going seriously wrong but it gave people a better chance then before. The ones closest to her whenever she was punching buttons could here hear muttering something but what they couldn't tell, all they knew was that it was best to leave her alone because of the star shaped pip on her collar which signified that she was a Sentinel and as such knew what she was doing

"Oh for...did they have to do that when they designed the new computer system?"

Finally though Ashland stopped moving about and punching buttons and simply sat there looking quite pleased with herself, though for what they weren't quite sure


	56. Chapter 56

"Captain Anderson to Sentinel Portland what's your present location?"

"Engineering Captain, we were about five minutes away from a silent warp core breach when I abruptly left" (sighs) "I need to contact the right people because the new computer system interfered with the warp core design causing the warp core to do things that aren't supposed to happen normally, it also heated the core to dangerous levels without any warnings going off, how many ships have the new computer system?"

"Only us so far, we're field testing it"

(Sighs) "Figures, guess this means our mission is going to be delayed a bit because this ship is  _not_  safe to fly with the interactions going on"

"What's needed to fix the problem?"

"Do you have an engineering or computer background?"

"Neither"

"Than I'm afraid I can't explain it to you Captain, at least not in simpler words not yet anyhow"

"Ah it's too technical at the moment"

"Exactly, it's  _way_  too technical to get into it right now, just know that I understand what needs to be done and can relay it to the proper people so that this never happens again"

"Then that will be your first assignment, after that you're assigned to the bridge except at need"

"Understood, I'll officially start my duties in...oh two hours give or take five minutes"

"Very well, see you in about two hours then. Oh one more question Portland, is the solution you used temporary or permanent?"

"Temporary Captain, I did just say a few minutes ago that the ship is not safe to fly"

"Right, forgot about that, I'll inform Sisko about what's happened and ask for men if the solution is easy to implement"

"It's actually not as easy as you think Captain, but doable here, I just wish we were at a dry dock that's more...established than a space station"

"I know but from what I can tell from your voice unless we're under tow we can't move"

"Once I finish explaining the full solution and we do it ourselves we should be in no danger, but it will take several hours of physical labor to correct the problem so I guess I'll officially be starting much later than expected"

"Well best make your report first while I explain the situation to Captain Sisko"

"Yes sir"

It would turn out that Ashland needed three hours with the appropriate people because while everyone could understand the mechanics of what she was saying, it was the order that the fixes needed to be done that were causing the problem mainly due to the fact that the newest ship they were building was about ready to be flight tested and they had already done most of the work that caused the problem in the first place

"Okay, let's go over it one last time to ensure you have it and then I need to report to the bridge and see where I'm needed next since this ship is not safe to fly currently"

"Does Starfleet Command know your mission had been further delayed?"

"I have absolutely no idea but I'm about to send them a message myself just in case which includes the reason why the mission has been further delayed"

"Okay, if we have further problems we'll be in contact"

"I know, now let's just hope we can fix the problem relatively easy on a completed ship"

"Well you've got the warp core stable at least so that's something"

"True, that does give me a beginning doesn't it?"

Ashland then went to the bridge to either start her shift where she was supposed to be or be told that she was to continue fixing the issue that almost cost them a ship

"Portland, have you finished explaining things with the group you needed to?"

"Yes, though it will be a bit difficult because the ship is mostly completed"

"Well, they'll figure it out, now then Sisko can't spare anyone for another three to four days so we're going to have to do what we can to keep busy but until we get that help we're stuck"

"Okay, oh I sent a message to Command about the fact that our mission has to be delayed until further notice because of how dangerous it would be for us to move"

"Then they'll be getting two messages about that because as soon as I finished talking to Sisko I told Starfleet Command about what's going on with the ship, they're a bit surprised at the fact that there's a major problem discovered  _after_  the test run"

"Well guess there should have been a longer test period, because I'm sure that everyone was rushing to replace ships destroyed in the war"

"Yeah, we were rushing a bit"

"Then it all makes sense, now then I was told that I wouldn't have to worry about retraining due to being thought dead for three years and that when you guys arrived I would understand why"

That's when she noticed a Vulcan at tactical, but this Vulcan had the star pips of a Sentinel

"This is Entry Sentinel Soketh, he discovered he was Force sensitive when he joined the Academy and decided to take accelerated Jedi training while at the Academy"

"So he's going to help by transferring his memories to me through the Force"

"Exactly"

"Wait, how did you guys continue training while fighting a war and then rebuilding?"

"It wasn't easy trust me, but after your death we realized that we could have continued training and classes so that's what we did"

"And once the war was over the Sentinel's could continue the accelerated training program as well"

"Exactly, what really helped was the fact that most of the Jedi turned Sith were returned to the Jedi because of that Sith artifact and stayed behind to help rebuild"

"Bet part of that was punishment"

"Yes, but part of that was them wanting to help rebuild what they helped destroy even if it was against their will"

All of a sudden Ashland's PADD started beeping and so Ashland took a look at it and paled

"Portland what's wrong?"

"Someone's accessed a file that they shouldn't have been able to access"

"Why not?"

"Because I put a level 15 security code on that file"

"Portland hate to break it to you but a level 15 security code is enough for a regular cadet to access the file, surely you know that"

"Yeah, if I was talking Federation security levels it would be enough for an ordinary cadet to access the files, however level 15 security codes in the Republic are the equivalent of Presidential security here in the Federation. That means that only the President, the person that sealed the files, or finally the person the file pertains to should be able to access that file without having to go through the rigors of having to go through paperwork to get the proper security clearance to see the file"

"Oh, that's some pretty intense security"

"Yeah, and it was needed when I put that security code onto the file back in the day"

"What for? I would think that you would want information about the Sentinel's out there"

"Captain, the  _reason_  I put a level 15 security code on the file someone's managed to hack into is because that file could start a war between the Federation and the Republic. That file contains information so classified by the Republic that if it got into the wrong hands a war would be started because what's in the files is not only not the full story but they may also not have the political background needed to understand why certain decisions that were in that file were made in the first place. The reason why that file is basically President's eyes only is so that the President of the United Federation of Planets can learn about the Republic in private whenever he or she has the time, with the knowing and understanding by me that they understand that there's a lot of politics going on at the time of the decisions made. I made that file without the Admiralty's knowledge back when I was debriefing them with the permission of the Jedi Council and Republic Senate because when I was sent on the mission that brought me here they understood that the highest authority of this region would need to know information that ordinary people might not have access to. As I was debriefing the Admiralty they were debriefing me on how the Federation works and once I learned that the President was voted every few years I made it so that only the current President would be able to access that file with an automatic note for the President the first day they entered office that the file was there for them to read so that they could learn where the Republic they are currently allied with came from"

"And now someone who might not understand the full story has that information and could cause major problems if it's not dealt with in an expedient fashion"

"Exactly, if the President was the one that accessed the files I wouldn't have been informed because they have the security clearance but since it's not the President I now have a huge problem on my hands that needs to be dealt with ASAP"

"What can we do from here though?"

"For one I need all the Sentinel's to talk to their Captain's in case of information release giving them permission to explain some of what was going on during the time period of the report, then I am going to send a separate message to all the Captains and Admirals that they need to talk to the President about the information before doing anything stupid, I'll also have to inform the President about what's happened so that he can call a meeting to inform all the Ambassadors who can then tell their planets that what's on the file they were given has more to the story than just what's written down and to keep cool heads. We'll also have to communicate with our allies and explain a little bit about the Republic and how that information affects them even to this day. Once all of that is done I also need to inform the Republic about the file being hacked so that they can prepare for repercussions"

"Anything else you can think of at the moment Portland?"

"No sir, none, at least not until that information is given out by whoever hacked the file in the first place and even I don't know when or even  _if_  that will happen"

"Okay, send out your messages and by the time you're finished hopefully we'll be able to fix the ship and you'll be back in Republic space in no time"

It would turn out that Ashland needed several hours to make sure the right messages went to the right places, but once that was done she and the engineers of DS9 were able to fix the ship so that they could move without blowing themselves up. As it was Ashland wondered how they managed to get to DS9 in the first place after she saw just how bad it really was but she was glad they got their in time for her to save them, after which she meditated with Soketh to make sure she knew what she had missed. She went to Quarks one last time the next afternoon with the permission of the Captain because she did have a small debt to settle first and that's when she was attacked by a species she recognized in the Republic as assassins and the assassin was about to get Colonel Kira so she got there first and took the knife in the side instead of the heart where it would have been otherwise. Once she got in the way of the attack she used the Force to subdue him long enough for Odo to secure the person and that's when she spoke, but not in English or Basic but Huttese because she recognized the assassin and knew that they spoke Huttese


	57. Chapter 57

*Why were you sent to assassinate Colonel Kira?*

*Like I'd tell you anything Jedi*

*Oh trust me, you don't want to mess with the Federation, due to the fact that you attacked a Starfleet officer you're in a lot of trouble. I could make things easier on you if you just...talk*

Ashland suddenly coughs up blood but everyone knew she hadn't been hit any where's vital as far as they could tell, even though she got hit in the side as far as they knew the area that the knife was at there weren't any major organs

*Having trouble Jedi? I guess I should tell you before you die from my poison, we were trying to break the alliance between the Federation and the Republic, we felt that a Republic poison would do the trick. Oh and don't think I'll tell you who my masters are, I do believe you're too smart for that seeing as how I'm sure you recognize the emblem I'm wearing*

*Yes...I...recognize...it...but...guess...what...we have...the means...to cure...me...on...the...ship*

She then switches back to Basic but everyone was concerned at how often she was coughing up blood

"Take him...away Constable...he...won't...talk"

"We need to get you to Bashir"

"NO!...I need...my crew...mission...to...Republic...vital...now"

"But Portland..."

"Don't...worry...Colonel...I...know...what...I...am...doing"

"Fine but I'm ordering an escort to make sure you get to your ships sickbay safely"

All Ashland does is nod in acceptance because she knew that she needed it but she also connected to Soketh mentally to inform him of the situation and what was needed to be passed on to the doctors because she could tell she wasn't that far from a Healing trance

*Soketh, get to medical, tell them I've been poisoned with a poison that will kill an ordinary person within a week but because of a Healing trance Jedi have two. I will appear dead once in the Trance because my vitals will not really show up and I can't calibrate them so that they do so I am  _not_  to be declared dead without definite proof from you. The Jedi Temple will have the directions for the cure and I've already tested and the ingredients are safe to be synthesized, don't ask me why for now just tell them that it's okay*

*Understood, how will I tell them you're still alive if you're in the Healing trance?*

*You'll be able to feel my Force signature, which will be easy for you because we've already connected before*

*Got it, get well soon*

Ashland doesn't make it to sickbay on the  _New Hope_  but she does manage to make it to the ship so the security officer simply called to sickbay that he had someone who needed to be there but needed a stretcher or a site to site transport. Once Ashland was in sickbay the doctor almost called Ashland dead and would have too if not for Soketh telling him that Ashland was alive but in a Healing trance

"But she's showing no vitals, even if she was in a Healing trance all we would get would be different readings"

"That's because of the poison currently coursing through her system, we need to contact the Jedi Council and let them know about the poisoning of Portland and the fact that we need the treatment plan, don't worry the ingredients will work even synthesized"

"How do you know that?"

"Because Ashland did some tests when she was still in the Academy and discovered that for herself and I could tell she wasn't lying"

"How did she tell you that when she was basically out of it?"

"Mental contact via the Force"

"Oh makes sense then"

The doctor quickly contacts the Jedi Council and explains the situation to them and they provide the treatment plan that Ashland needed

"Now then are you absolutely sure Sentinel Portland is in the Healing trance even if there are no vital signs?"

That's when Soketh speaks up

"I'm Entry Sentinel Soketh and I can sense her through the Force, it's easier for me due to the fact that we made mental contact so that she understood what she had missed in her three years as a prisoner, which actually wasn't much"

"Very well Sentinel Soketh, you'll need to stay in the...sickbay I believe it's called until treatment is over due to the fact that the treatment will take care of the poison however due to the fact that the treatment itself can kill the person and the fact that there are basically no vital signs when a Jedi is in the Healing trance the medics will need someone who can sense the truth there for them"

"Okay, I'll inform the Captain then, and just so you know if this happens again the ingredients can be synthesized safely"

"Sentinel Portland actually told us that when she returned home"

"Oh didn't know that"

"We're sending the information you need now, good luck"

The Jedi Council signs off and the doctor is relieved that it looks like the treatment was simple, but it also took several doses for the treatment to be effective

"Okay, looks like I have to give her five doses a day for five days and it also looks like it's a good thing she's in a Healing trance"

"What for?"

"Because it looks like the treatment is normally painful, and you can't take any pain medications while undergoing treatment"

"Okay, I'll call the Captain and let him know the situation at the moment"

"With the fact that she'll be unconscious we should be able to start our mission because of the fact that it still takes two weeks to get to the Republic and that's only to Coruscant, once there we'll slow down and it will take a few days to get to the planet that I believe is called Ilum"

"Yes the planet is called Ilum"

"I have a question, just how did you make your lightsabers being stuck in the Federation?"

"Oh that's something we're not allowed to talk about"

"Understood, but then why is she making hers in the Republic?"

"Multiple reasons"

"Okay, now to start the treatment Portland needs, let me know if there's any change in her condition because I won't be able to know"

"Will do"

Over the next five days Soketh and the doctor did everything in their power to keep Ashland alive, though they actually almost lost her once during the treatment process but luckily they succeeded in bringing her back but it was a close call according to Soketh. The only reason they didn't lose her was because of T'vran though they didn't know that yet, that and the fact that Soketh also did whatever he could to keep Ashland connected to the Force even though she was dying

"Well treatment's over and the poison's gone, she should wake up within the next three days according to what I've read...and we have her vitals once more so you're no longer needed to monitor Sentinel Portland"

"It's good to hear that she'll be fine, and should be up soon enough"

"Soketh get some sleep you need it, and Portland should be able to move as soon as she's up because for some reason a temporary Healing trance doesn't do anything to muscles"

"Yeah even the Jedi healers doesn't understand why that is"

"Well, all we can and need to do now is monitor Portland and answer any questions she has when she wakes up. Now then this is doctor's orders, get some sleep Soketh, I know you used Vulcan techniques to not only keep yourself awake but also get what appeared to be sleep but wasn't"

"The Captain knows that I need sleep, but he does ask for regular updates on Portland now that treatment is over with"

"Don't worry I'm about to give him an update and then let the others know when to update the Captain because I'm going to be taking some time off as well"

The next three days were a little tense because they weren't sure if the poison or even the treatment had done any brain damage, according to the files the Jedi Healers had sent neither had ever done that but the thing was Ashland had been given some inoculations shortly before she went to Quarks as a means to get her updated on whatever she had missed. Ashland had actually been the one to initiate too because of the fact that she had been missing for three years and knew she needed to get herself updated just in case. The thing was no one had ever had the poison or treatment after Federation inoculations so no one was quite sure what would happen

"How is she?"

"All we know is that she's stable, we won't know if her mind is affected until she wakes up"

Just then Ashland groaned and opened her eyes and immediately closed them due to the brightness which was instantly turned down

"Portland? I know you're going to hate me but what's the last thing you remember?"

"Getting caught up via Soketh"

"Okay, that means you've only missed a day which is a good thing and not all that surprising"

"What happened?"

"Later Portland, you still need some sleep, but I also need to do a few more tests"

The few tests told them that all she had was a slight case of amnesia

"How is she?"

"She's forgotten the day of the attack but other than that she's fine...so far, we're going to have to continue this until she truly wakes up just in case"

For the next several times Ashland woke up she was asked the same questions as the first time and she answered them the same each and every time. Finally she was truly and honestly awake a full twenty-four hours after her treatment was completed

"So how did my neurological checks come out while I was out of it?"

"You did great, but you've forgotten the day of the attack that caused you to be poisoned in the first place"

"What poison was it?"

"A poison that doesn't typically affect the memory and you appear dead even when in the Healing trance and it kills an ordinary person within a week"

"Oh that poison, the memory loss is a first"

"Yes, but it's never been exposed to Federation inoculations before has it?"

"Oh, that's why I have slight memory loss"

"Exactly"

"Um two things doctor. First has there been any activity in regards to a file I sealed that is President eyes only? And two I'm about to go into deep meditation so you're going to be getting some interesting readings, however you have to understand that it is  _dangerous_  to bring a Jedi out of their meditation by force because that is how we not only maintain our connection to the Force but also what allows us to think about events in ways we wouldn't have been able to during said events, finding maybe another path, even helping us cope with our emotions. However if you detect my heart racing out of control, my breathing rapid and shallow, or even my heart rate and breathing too slow you are to bring me out of the meditation via drugs, either drugs that slow down my heart rate and breathing or drugs to bring both my heart rate and breathing back up. Once you do that you  _do not_  let me sleep until I answer any of your questions satisfactorily is that understood?"

"Completely understood Sentinel Portland. As for your question as the CMO I was briefed on that file just in case and so far nothing has come to fruition but the Federation is keeping a close eye. Meanwhile we're about...six days from Coruscant"

"Which means we're another three days at least from Ilum because we'll be slowing down drastically once we reach Republic space"

"Exactly, now then I'll let my nurses know not to disturb your meditation unless your vital signs indicate you're in danger"

"Do you know my danger signs in regards to my vitals? I know for a fact that Sentinel's have different vitals from the beginning and when you add in meditation there's a major difference between danger and normal"

"Don't worry I've learned and will alert the nurses to what's right and wrong when it comes to Sentinel meditations. That's especially important when it comes to the fact that there are several different races that can become Jedi or Sentinel's"

"Exactly, and it takes time to learn all of them especially when races look similar but are vastly different, which means there are either major or slight differences in meditation danger zones"

Ashland went into deep meditation and things were okay for the first hour, but then she was attacked by the dark side of the Force while she was meditating and a nurse noticed that her vitals were way too fast for her so the nurse gave Ashland a hypo which brought Ashland out of the meditation state but also brought her vitals back to normal fast

"Nurse, thank you"

"What happened?"

Ashland shakes her head though

"I need to talk to Entry Sentinel Soketh immediately, and the Captain and since I don't know when I'll be let out of sickbay I'll just have to explain things here"

"You almost died from meditation I think a doctor at the very least should know what happened so that this can be prevented from happening again"

"Sorry, but I can't have you interrupting meditations unless my life is truly at risk, if I go deep into the Force I might have Force visions and while it's mostly things that  _might_  happen there are times when I see things that are intense and have this...feeling that what I see is supposed to happen and if it doesn't bad things could result"

"So basically you have to go through intense visions unless they're killing you"

"Exactly, I know you don't like it but it's the way it has to be, for everyone's safety"

"Well the Captain and Sentinel Soketh should be down here in a few minutes"

"Good, can this area be soundproofed?"

"Security issue?"

"Possibly but I'm not sure"

"Yes, it can be soundproofed"

"Good"

A few minutes later people who needed medical attention saw the Captain and two Sentinel's talking but didn't hear what was being said, though from body language they could tell the conversation was intense. Meanwhile inside the soundproof area Portland was explaining the effects the vision could have on their mission in the Republic

"But what if we need regular non trained Jedi with us during whatever trouble you sensed?"

"If that happens they'll be where they're needed, but most likely hidden, either that or...or we might be hidden for reasons I can't discuss right now"

"Don't tell me, Force vision?"

"Exactly, Soketh I'm pretty sure you've detected something since I've been on board and if not anything long term but feeling immediate, either that or you feel like there's something that's going to happen but you're not sure what or why"

"Actually yeah I could sense things are happening and it involves the crew, in fact the doctor didn't have to wake me up from my sleep I suddenly woke up and was washing my face just as she was calling my room because I sensed something wrong with you"

"Yeah that would be the dark Force vision that caused this conversation to happen in the first place"

"What about the Jedi Council?"

(Shakes her head) "I can't talk to the Council about what I saw just yet because not only is the vision  _way_  to vague for them but I get the feeling that they're not meant to know yet, maybe after I make my lightsabers but I don't know that for sure"

"Look, maybe we should alert the Jedi Council about the potential trouble and let them decide what's needed"

"No that can't happen right now Captain, you don't understand what you're talking about so don't you dare contact them and that's a direct order as the Senior ranking Starfleet Sentinel"

"Okay, but Portland, shouldn't we at least let them know we're going to be here for a while, and doesn't the Republic Senate need to know about our mission too?"

(Sighs) "I hate to break it to you but the Senate won't be hearing about this until at least my lightsaber mission is done"

"What for?"

"They're currently in recess, it's a short recess but most if not all went to their home planets for a small break and wont' reconvene until after the estimated time I finish my lightsabers"

"Fine, but Portland why do you abbreviate the Jedi Council and Republic Senate to just the Council and Senate?"

"Much easier on everyone, especially Sentinel's who have to keep things straight between the Federation and the Republic. Trust me it's not something one can get used to quickly and to be honest a lot of people don't understand the need to differentiate but for those of us who do know and understand we do our best to make adjustments quickly. The Admiralty understood pretty fast because they too have to keep things straight between themselves in regards to things I am either not privy to or know better than to talk about"

Not long after the doctor releases Ashland who is informed that they've reached Coruscant, as such they leave warp and simply inform the people they could that they were there while Ashland sets in new coordinates and speed into the computer. Another three days passed during which Ashland and Soketh did specialized training and also their routine duties, though Ashland was a bit more...rounded according to her records so she moved about a bit more in the ship while Soketh wasn't quite so rounded but did have some command experience just in case. One day Ashland was just in their version of ten-forward when she thought of when the Admiralty talked to her about getting command track training even though they weren't quite sure where to put her


	58. Chapter 58

_Years earlier_

"Cadet Portland, there's something we need to discuss"

"Yes Admiral?"

"I know we haven't discussed exactly what you're wanting to do in the future and as such we've been giving you all sorts of jobs and training but what do you say about command track training?. Not only for you but should you ever make contact with your people again and other Jedi join Starfleet what do you say they also have command track training even if that's not going to be their primary field just in case?. Though the command track training for you won't be activated until you reveal yourself"

"That's actually sounding like a good idea Admiral, because with the Force on our side we might be able to detect trouble that regular Captain's might not be able to detect, and if we encounter something from the Republic yet are in the Federation it would be better for us to take the lead because we would understand the situation better anyways"

"All right then, that's what we'll do, and if you find that you truly enjoy the command track then who knows maybe one day you'll Captain a ship and have the primary mission being a way to find your way home, but we'll discuss that option more when and if you become a Captain before you find home again"

So Ashland goes into command track training and finds that it's something she wanted to do in the future but decided to continue training in other aspects as well...just in case she was needed on the ship in another capacity

_Present_

"Say Portland I was wondering something"

"What is it Ensign Alister?"

"Why did you have extra summer training then the rest of your cadets, you spent an extra half year at the Academy as a teachers assistant after what was called the only extra summer training"

"There's actually various reasons behind that, but I will tell you one thing even though I was seen as a teachers assistant in reality I was getting some extra specialized training that extra semester at the Academy, mostly in diplomacy but also a few other things that the Admiralty wanted me to know specifically that I couldn't have been taught at the Academy by regular teachers"

"Oh, um Portland, are you still wondering about the file being hacked into?"

"Yes, and I'm also still very worried about what could happen, after the lock was broken I informed both the Council and Senate of what had happened but have received no replies, granted the Senate is in recess and the Council is busy but still...I'm worried about the fact that none of our messages have received answers yet, even a simple acknowledgment answer would be a good thing right now"

Just then Portland was called to the bridge to confirm they were at the right location. Once on the bridge that's exactly what she does

"Okay we're where we need to be I need to beam down and get the crystals, beam me down at the coordinates I specify but lock onto my communicator just in case"

"Understood"

Ashland is soon down on the planet and is in the caves listening to the Force to find the crystals she needed in order to make her lightsaber. As she finds the crystals she's tested in various ways including visions of things from both the Republic and the Federation, one of them a mission that had happened during her extra summer training. The reason why was because of the fact that the situation she was in to get the crystal was very similar to that summer training mission

_Years earlier_

"Captain, I think we should be extremely careful, especially if we go outside"

"What harm could they do cadet?"

"Sir, I  _really_  need you to trust me on this and make sure the rest of the away team is ready for possible trouble at a moments notice"

The Captain doesn't listen unfortunately and Ashland is only just close enough to force the Captain to the ground before an explosion without having to use the Force

"Maybe next time you'll listen to me instead of telling me and I quote 'I don't need to listen to a cadet who's not out of the Academy and is clearly still in their early training' even after I told you that I had a bad feeling about this and that what you were doing was really not a good idea"

Ashland moves to stand up and it's instantly obvious that she's hurt but she continues the fighting obeying orders to a certain extent when finally she'd had enough of the Captain's idiocy

"Okay that's it, Cadet Portland to Admiral Yano need immediate evac from Raxtan V so if you could please stop playing lowly Ensign and younger age I would really appreciate it right now...oh and tell sickbay to expect injured once we're back on board and...can I please stun the Captain unconscious?"

"No knocking the Captain unconscious cadet but I'm already working on the rest of your request but it's a little hard to get a fix on your signal right now due to heavy phaser fire, is there anything you can do to help with that?"

"Yes sir but it involves...classified things because I'm guessing that you're on the bridge and this is open communication now"

"You're right this is open communication and Portland depending on what you do I'm fine with you doing something classified because I have a feeling I know what you're talking about and what you're going to do"

The Admiral would be right in the fact that Ashland used the Force to boost the away teams life-signs strong enough for an immediate teleport. Once back on the ship she reported straight to sickbay explaining that she needed to talk to the Admiral ASAP. Once the Admiral was in sickbay she gave him a basic report knowing she would have to give a more detailed report later which she did and that's also when she discovered the Captain had been reprimanded and placed in the brig until further notice due to charges pending

_Present_

After that flashback Ashland received the last of the crystals because the test was if she trusted her instincts enough to go against anything she was currently hearing or seeing. Once she was out of the cave system and actually back out in the cold she called her ship for a beam up

"So what's next?"

"Next I need to go to my quarters, don't worry I have everything I need to make new lightsabers in there, oh and Soketh, once we get back to Coruscant you're going to have to choose exactly where you want your spare lightsaber to be in the Senate building"

"Don't worry I have a feeling I already know where I'm supposed to put it, think of it as a Force vision of a possible future that is really handy at the moment"

"Understood"

Ashland then goes to her quarters and makes sure she wouldn't be disturbed except for an emergency, something the Captain made sure to be reinforced because he'd been told that Jedi needed concentration in order to properly make their lightsabers

"Soketh, just in case I want you to remain at tactical that ways I can know for sure what truly counts as trouble or not"

"Understood Captain...Captain what happens if there's a true emergency and we need Sentinel Portland's expertise?"

"Then we'll have to interrupt her lightsaber making"

"She's not going to be too happy about it"

Fortunately they didn't need her while she was making her lightsabers. Soon after she checked to see if she had any messages and she finally got some acknowledgment messages she had been waiting for and then she proceeded to chew both the Council and the Senate for not sending at least those messages and even chewing out the Senate for not having at least one person still at the building to acknowledge her message about her being home. When asked about why they were being assigned to the Republic until further notice she simply explained that they were orders and would be expanded on should it become necessary, though the Senate wasn't pleased to hear this the Council didn't push her, knowing exactly what was going on and that there would be times when she couldn't explain her Starfleet orders to her Jedi superiors and vice versa, something agreed upon ages ago

"For now though I was wondering if you and your crew could help"

"How so Master?"

"The Senate has been trying to help the planet Tanixi with a plague but unfortunately people are still dying and food can't be grown. No one has been able to figure out what's killing the crop and alsovvb killing the people at the same time, we recently tried to send a team in to help keep calm and help distribute the supplies but we've lost contact and we don't know why"

"If you assign me the mission I'll do it but I can't say the same about my Captain, you know the agreement we have between the Republic and Federation"

"I know, just ask your Captain if he's willing to help and then tell him that we're ordering you to go there to try and figure the problem out"

"Will do, just one question have the Jedi in question tried mental contact?"

"Yes, but that was three days ago, they could be dead or too sick to try anymore"

"Understood, I'll be underway within the hour with or without my ship and crew behind me"

Ashland starts to head to the bridge to talk to the Captain when she suddenly stopped because of a powerful feeling in the Force that she had to get a handle on. When she did five minutes later she realized that not only did she have to convince her Captain to come with her but to also do  _exactly_  what she said at any given moment because she would need to pull rank on this mission if they were going to succeed. Due to the fact that she was the highest ranking Starfleet officer whenever in the Republic and the highest ranking Jedi in the Federation she had certain leeway in regards to what she could and couldn't order either Starfleet officers or Jedi and this situation was one of them that she could give orders, though she didn't abuse the power and actually didn't want this kind of power but it was a necessary evil and definitely needed at the moment. Once on the bridge the Captain could tell she needed to talk to him

"Commander we'll be in my ready room"

The two walked in and then the Captain waited for Ashland to speak

"Captain, the  _New Hope_  is taking a trip to Tanixi to supply aid due to famine and something else that's killing people, apparently there's a blight killing the crops but as for what's killing the people I have no clue. I need all Force sensitive officers and any officer that has telepathic or empathic abilities except me to stay on board, I also need the Force inhibitor cell to be on standby just in case of trouble, I will do my best to let you know if it will be needed by the way. There's also the fact that sickbay needs to be on standby and as much food rations as can be replicated need to be available by the time we reach Tanixi in three days. A security detail of no more than seven will go down with me when I go alone and more will be available at need when it comes time to distribute the supplies. The Republic will do their best to send an aid ship ASAP but don't expect it to come soon, something's going on that I don't know about and neither does the Council so don't think about contacting them either"

"And just what authority do you have to tell me what to do?"

"The fact that since I'm the highest ranking Starfleet officer in certain situations I have some leeway in giving orders like this?"

"Okay you win, but we can't leave yet for at least fifteen minutes, something's up with the warp core again, something about it getting overheated"

(Sighs) "I knew I forgot something when fixing what happened a little over two weeks ago, sorry it will be an easy fix but yeah fifteen minutes sounds about right"

"I know, they told me they already know the solution it will just take a while to implement it"

"Okay, anything else you want to know or questions you want to ask before I leave?"

"Yes, why can't any Jedi, telepathic or empathic officers except you go down there?"

"Easy, because even touch telepaths will be sensitive on the planet if they touch a Tranaxa, and don't ask me why the species is called that, the only reason why I will be going down there is because they won't recognize Starfleet officers that easily and I've been to the planet before so they know me and there's less danger of them attacking me as long as they're in their right minds. The reason why those specific officers will be sensitive is because of a...mineral I guess you could call it that enhances mental abilities in the Tranaxa in the water they drink. Only certain types of Jedi are allowed to go in the first place and even then it assaults your senses in regards to the Force...in fact Tanixi is where things changed for me and where I was discovered to be a Force Trouble indicator because while I had always been strong in the Force we didn't have any ideas as to why until I sensed a major issue would happen on Tanixi three  _weeks_  before anything actually happened, and because it was my first mission as a Padawan that made it remarkable"

"So basically you have to go down there because they'll recognize you from that mission"

"Exactly, they do recognize the Starfleet uniform for both regular officers and Sentinel's but they won't really recognize them as a Starfleet officer because of the fact that uniforms can be copied or stolen, but with me down there and them recognizing my mental pattern they'll know the officers are the real deal"

"Makes sense then, now then if there's anything else you can think of before we get there let me know but for now I have to concentrate on a potential away team"

Three hours later the Captain called Ashland back to confirm that the away team was a good one


	59. Chapter 59

"This will work...oh wait Johnson can't come quite yet, not until I confirm something"

"How easy will it be to confirm your suspicions?"

"Two easy tests"

"Okay let him know"

"Will do"

Ashland goes to Johnson and tells him he needs two quick tests because of something she suspected. Five minutes later she had her results

"Johnson how long have you known you're an empath?"

"I'm a what?"

Ashland could tell that he never knew and was shocked and this wasn't faked

"Wait you never knew you were reading peoples emotions?"

"No I thought I was good at reading body language but to think I was subliminally reading their emotions is a shock"

"Okay you can't go on the mission I can't have an empath going down to the planet much less an untrained empath, that's just asking for trouble"

"How do I get proper training?"

"Don't worry there are a few people that you can ask that will help you and I will give you a list before I go on the mission but first I have to tell the Captain you're off the team"

"I understand, but wait if empaths can't go why are you?"

"Easy because they'll recognize my mental pattern, it's for the safety of the other officers that I go down because Force sensitives and telepaths are also out"

"Oh okay"

"Johnson do you have any idea of who I can take to replace you?"

"No sorry, but I just don't really know that many people yet, this is actually my first assignment"

"Sorry Ensign forgot about that"

"No problem, just one question, why is my status as a hidden empath so dangerous?"

"Two reasons, for one Tanixi enhances any and all mental and emotional abilities and as such you would be overwhelmed within moments of being on the planet with all the emotions of not only the away team but also the people of the planet and right now there's major problems down there. Another is because if you can feel them they can feel you and would be able to influence you because of your untrained abilities, you don't have the mental and emotional shields needed yet to handle what they're capable of doing to a person that's trained forget untrained"

"And yet you're able to withstand them and are able to go even though you're a Force user"

(Sighs) "I'm afraid that's not entirely correct, I am not ever going to fully be able to withstand them even having been to the planet before and given training specialized to handle Tanixi, I was even given special medicines to handle whatever headache I might have while on the planet because of their mental abilities. I am in as much danger if not more than the away team because the away team won't have the problems I will have being a Starfleet Sentinel, I need to keep everyone I can safe until the crises is solved because even trained people that have mental shields will not be able to handle Tanixi in crises it enhances those abilities that much"

"But wait, I thought I was told that the reason behind that is the water the Tanixi drink"

"Yes, there are minerals in the water that enhance the abilities, the thing is part of the ritual greetings involves drinking that water either plain or in tea form so just think about it for a moment and you'll realize just how dangerous it is for telepathic and empathic people right now"

"Oh, well guess you have some research to do to get a replacement for me"

"Yes I do, though how a Betazed didn't recognize an empath is beyond me, and how did you get your abilities anyways?"

"Well as for the Betazed part I guess it is so under trained that I went undetected even by them and as for my abilities, like I said I just thought I was good at reading body language but you know I didn't start to get really good at that until after I was rescued after having been abducted when I was ten years old, when I was rescued by the police they took me to the hospital and they did several tests but nothing different about me was discovered, the only thing they really noticed was that I had been given high doses of sedatives to keep me unconscious for long periods of time to keep me cooperative because I fought them whenever I was awake unless I was eating"

"Hm okay that actually makes sense now that I think about it, now then I need to go to the Captain and explain why you're off the mission and then I think I'm going to need some holodeck time...and I have to debrief the medical crew as well and security now that I think about it unless I decide that the Captain can decide..."

Ashland leaves while still talking to herself pretty much while Johnson goes back to work. Fifteen minutes later Ashland still hadn't gone to the Captain or done anything else, mainly because she had been discovered unconscious five minutes after she had left Johnson to go back to his duties and was currently still unconscious in sickbay

"Doctor do you know what's wrong with her?"

"No, and I don't want Sentinel Soketh to check quite yet just in case he can be affected as well, oh I need to do checks on the away team as well"

"There's a slight problem with that"

"Which is what?"

"One of the members is currently unconfirmed because Portland wanted to do some tests"

"What kind of tests?"

"That's just it I don't know what tests or what the results were"

"Well guess we'd better ask him then, since we won't get anything out of Portland for now"

"And we might have to delay the mission from the Jedi Council and explain why"

"Wait, we're just going to accept orders from the Jedi when they technically have no authority over us?"

"Yes because Sentinel Portland is using her authority as the highest ranking Starfleet officer right now, which means we have to obey either the Jedi Council or the Republic Senate depending on the situation, as it is we always need to keep the Republic Senate updated on our status, just like the Jedi and Rogue Squadron did when they were in our space"

"Oh, you know we've been allies for so long but I still don't understand the intricacies of the relationship between the Republic and Federation"

"I understand some of what's going on but not everything, I think the only person who truly understands the relationship between the two is the one who started it all in the first place First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland, the first Jedi to ever enter Starfleet, the one who lost contact with home with no way of knowing if she would ever get home again"

Suddenly they heard a voice they weren't expecting for at least another day, maybe longer depending on how long it took for Ashland to metabolize a foreign compound

"Actually Captain, the President and Chancellor both also fully understand the policies involved because they have to be fully informed so that neither side makes a mistake with the other"

"Okay, how are you awake so soon, you were given an unknown drug"

"Don't ask because even I'm not entirely sure, I shouldn't have been knocked out in the first place because I was just walking towards a turbolift to tell you that Johnson is off the team Captain"

"Why is he off the team?"

"Hidden empath that I only discovered by accident which in this case is a good thing"

"How did Betazed officers..."

"Don't know, other Sentinel's also missed it probably because not only did it happen when he was ten and abducted from his home but also because it's so underdeveloped that not many people would be able to detect the ability in him, only I could and that's probably because of my abilities as a Force Trouble indicator"

"Okay, so how were you knocked unconscious?"

"Well it's not a Federation drug and it's also not a Republic drug it feels more like...yep it's Chamomile combined with almonds and poppy, three natural sedative products that are extremely effective on me however that's only in individual doses, and while it will still knock me out when combined with either two or all three in different combos it will also poison me really quickly and my body will go into such a light Healing trance that it won't be recognized as such and will expel the products quickly in order to keep me alive so I'll only be out ten to fifteen minutes at the most, thirty if they're really lucky"

"How did you learn that those three products were especially effective on you if you never had them before you arrived in the Federation?"

"Completely by accident actually, for the chamomile the Admirals and I were simply taking a break from the debriefing one day in my first year and I was asleep within minutes of having finished my cup, I woke up sixteen hours later to concerned people and in the sickbay of the Academy. We discovered almonds by accident as well because in my second year I was eating with some classmates in a study group and had a salad with almonds which knocked me out again, but this time only for six hours but I was in the sickbay again because it was so sudden. Poppy was the last one to be discovered because I was in a medical course so that I could be certified as a field medic once more and we were being told some old remedies to calm people down that would also help people sleep, though it might take at least an hour to be fully effective and we were to try some of them to see what affect they had on us and when it was my turn for the poppy I only had one of them and I was asleep within minutes once more waking up seven hours later with the rest of the class a bit confused because since it was the middle of the day they were more relaxed but they hadn't fallen asleep like I had. After that we ran tests to see how I reacted in different combinations and that's when we discovered combining all three at once only kept me out for several minutes as a natural defense my body had to keep levels from getting toxic, I was also taught to recognize how each felt after I woke up so that I knew what had happened if I got an accidental or even purpose dose of any of the three, especially all three combined because it's so dangerous to me"

"Depending on how you combine two of them how long are you out?"

"Between ten to fifteen hours, I don't use them that often because of the fact that we also discovered that while they're really effective on me and Jedi in general as far as I know they're also slightly toxic to me so I only really use them if I want a good nights rest without drugs or once I was just wanting to relax after a shift and forgot how effective chamomile is on me and I had some chamomile tea and conked out not long after, I never use all three at once and if I do use them I rotate and only do it once a month if that"

"Okay but why not try that first if you're having a hard time sleeping because of the Force or your memories?"

They see Ashland wince and realize that she had a very valid reason one which had a back story that they probably didn't want to know anymore

"Why do I get the feeling I should have just left that alone?"

"Because of what happened the one time we tried that Doctor. You see I was on a mission where things went  _wrong_  while on summer training, and no it's not the one training exercise that went majorly wrong and we lost fifty cadets and seventy others were injured in varying degrees the senior class that came to the rescue seeing as how some of them were on a survival exercise of their own not two planets away from us and that was after we lost a third of the sophomore class and half the junior class and I myself had severe injuries. This training exercise was the summer before my senior year so I was technically considered a senior, unfortunately by the time summer training was over I wondered if I would even be alive to complete training. We were  _supposed_  to be on a simple peace mission but things happened that forced the cadets and the ship of the  _Boxter_  to make decisions that we have to live with even to this day, you see we were attacked by pirates and had to fight our way to a space that would help us. We knew we were near Klingon space so we decided to head there as fast as possible but unfortunately for us the pirates managed to damage the drive section to the point where we were going to start venting into space if we didn't do something so we went into warp two for three seconds which worked but once out of warp we realized that the ship was still in major trouble and the pirates could come at any moment so the Captain made the decision to split the ship into two and the two sections head to different locations in the hope that at least one section would make it to safety to make a report for the other section to start having a search and possibly rescue team be sent out. The problem was neither section could go really fast because the saucer section doesn't have much besides propulsion and the drive section couldn't go to warp because of the venting issue, the cadets were split up as well and as the only senior on board I had to choose between the two sections..."

"Hang on I think I know what you're talking about now and will let you finish the story, but why were you the only senior on board that ship?"

"Because the other senior had a last minute ship assignment change and there were no other seniors going on a trip that summer because of various other summer assignments that had to be done on Earth that year, either that or they weren't nearly as far as the two ships we were on were going to go for a while. Anyhow I decided to stay on the saucer section and selected a junior in charge of the cadets in the drive section. We drifted for a month avoiding pirates when possible but it didn't always happen and there were a few skirmishes but then after the end of the month we ran out of luck and were captured. There I was unknowingly to the pirates assaulted by a Force inhibitor, in fact that's what the collar basically was, though it was only supposed to be a shock collar. We had to do things to survive that haunt me to this day and we were there for almost two months, the Academy had decided to wait a month before opening because not only had we been captured but the Academy had been threatened by the pirates constantly with bomb threats that were constant and non ending because they knew Starfleet didn't make deals with terrorists. After the month was over they would have reevaluated to see if they could open up again, but that wouldn't be necessary because I managed to send out a distress beacon three days before rescue and it was the  _Norway_  that saved us and shut down the pirates. Afterwords I needed some serious therapy and the doctors decided to give me a chamomile/poppy tea that I had created myself and they gave me some while in the hospital hoping it would help me sleep without the need of approved sedatives. That was the last time we ever decided to do that, I died on them at least five times during the night and had seizures for seventy-two hours straight after they flushed the mixture out of my body with fluids wide open so it still took the whole night for the mixture to leave my body, otherwise it might have been longer because they had given it to me at about midnight after I had woken up three times in the last fifteen minutes. Once the seizures were done and I was coherent enough we had tests to see what had happened and discovered my body releases chemicals whenever I am in a Force vision or am experiencing bad memories through dreams, chemicals that are affected by the natural sedatives and interfere with my body functions. That's when my policy that I had already put into place mentally became a mandatory policy for all Sentinel's and for a short period there all races that had telepathic or empathic abilities until tests proved that they were safe. Unfortunately there's a chance there are races we don't know about that will be affected as well but since we haven't met them yet we don't know, and that's both in the Republic and Federation"

"Okay, makes sense, now then about your attack besides you and potentially medical personnel who all knows about this weakness of yours?"

"No one that I know of, so whoever did it managed to hack my files and discovered what can knock me out without automatically suspecting something was given to me"

"We'll have to find that out later, now then I will see who else I can choose as part of the away team since Johnson is out, in the meantime stay here to finish recovering and then you're off duty until we reach Tanixi"

"Understood Captain"

"One quick question, about the exercise where you lost so many people and so many others were injured and the senior class took over, why didn't you guys try the combo to help you sleep then, why wait what another year for you to try?"

"Oh that one is easy, because of the fact that seeing a councilor or some other professional had been made mandatory for that mess, at least for most of them it was mandatory, because of who I was it wasn't made mandatory but I still went to see a councilor because my meditations were failing and I knew I needed to talk to someone and see if that helped, and then after a period the sessions weren't mandatory or needed but I still didn't try because I wanted to ensure it was done in a controlled environment and I wasn't healing from so many wounds, you have to understand, when the doctors finally did do that experiment it was because they knew that they needed to know before I graduated so that we all knew what I could and couldn't do, there was also the fact that while I was tortured the worst I had in regards to physical injuries was a broken arm and it wasn't even a severe break at that, no the worst was the mental injuries of what we had to do to survive that place. And by the way the accident that cost fifty lives and injured seventy others was two years before the incident I just explained"

"Well, like I said I need to find another person who would be acceptable and you need to relax and recover"

"Fine by me, I know exactly what I want to do when I leave and don't worry doctor it won't be my strictly Jedi only programs, but it also won't be a meditation program"

"What  _exactly_  are you planning on doing?"

"Well first I'm going to do some zero g training and then after that...not sure but it definitely won't be anything physically strenuous, mentally challenging now that's another story"

"What can you do that will be mentally challenging that won't also be physically strenuous?"

"Oh that's easy, I've uploaded tons of Jedi brain teasers into the holodeck and might even decide to play some poker against some brilliant minds, might even work on some warp theories that no one can solve at the moment...or even some medical problems that haven't been resolved yet"

"All mentally challenging while giving your body a physical break, interesting but might be the best thing for you"

Finally Ashland was told they had reached Tanixi and that the away team had  _finally_ been confirmed. She soon was beamed down to the planet and was greeted by a form of government that the Starfleet officers didn't recognize, and they could instantly tell from Ashland's posture she wasn't too sure about it either


	60. Chapter 60

"Who speaks for your people?"

"I do, shall we continue this after the ritual greeting?"

"Fine, but only because I know for a fact that we won't get any answers otherwise, the fact that a Jedi team has disappeared is quite troubling, second only to the fact that people are still starving and dying despite Republic aid having been sent"

As soon as Ashland said that there was a wince amongst the whole group which told the Starfleet officers that something was seriously wrong. After tea was served they all saw Ashland wince and realized just how dangerous it was for Ashland to be on the planet

"Don't try and break my shields any further sir, it won't be pretty for either of us if you try"

"Of course...Sentinel I believe you're called, are you the leader of this group?"

"I am the designated speaker yes, the officers here are security officers sent with me for my protection, we also have food and medical aid ready at a moments notice once you explain the situation to me so that I know how best to distribute the supplies"

(Sighs) "I think the first thing you should know and understand is that none of us here wanted to represent the government in an official capacity, unfortunately we're the only ones left available"

"What happened?"

"It all started with the plague that affected our food supply. As a farmer I started noticing my crops going bad early on but since it was such a small portion I didn't think much of it because it happens every year, insects get into the crops making a portion of the fields unusable and farmers expect it. Unfortunately that was only the first sign that something major was happening and I ignored it, all of us farmers did, until it started spreading. The crops failed us within two months and that was the physical evidence something was wrong, all of us did our best to save what we could when we realized that the disease was spreading and rapidly, we thought we had saved at least some of the crop to last us a month of emergency food while waiting for Republic aid. What we didn't realize was that the crops were still affected though it took some time to realize that. The first sign of trouble with the secondary process of our crops was actually with the animals, they started attacking people at random, frothy mouths and all, some didn't even have visible signs that they were sick they just attacked"

A Starfleet officer interrupted but with good reason, several of the officers needed a reference and he had a good one

"Like the rabies virus of old back on Earth"

"Exactly like that, though we didn't realize it at first because the people bitten seemed fine, until they started attacking people as well or simply killing themselves. We managed to keep about three fourths of the planet from eating the food but by the time the Jedi team had arrived all form of government had collapsed. Those still alive and not affected elected us as the officials until the emergency had passed and we could hold real elections again, the Jedi team though wasn't as prepared because we forgot to warn people and as soon as they drank our water they started to be affected by what they were feeling but they succeeded in helping until they were attacked in the middle of the night in what was supposed to be a safe zone. Two were out right killed and the other two were injected with the virus, they seemed fine at first during the emergency meeting but they soon started acting erratic and we called them on it and told them that if they didn't stop we would defend ourselves if necessary. That snapped them out of it long enough for them to use their lightsabers on themselves so that we didn't have to deal with the emotions of killing our protectors"

"I see, I think I know what to do now, do you have blood samples from the Jedi affected? it might give us a start on figuring out a cure"

"No we don't, the only way you could get a blood sample is if you're bitten yourself but like I said you'll go mad soon enough"

"Yes, but I should have sanity just long enough for the ship to put me into the Force inhibitor cell that all Starfleet vessels are required to have now a days"

"The security precautions the Captain told us about"

"Exactly, now then sir, we'll be teleporting down food and people to help distribute the supplies but not as many as we normally have and not until we have a cure, a way to protect them, once that's done we'll make enough to help the animals and what people are still alive because I have a feeling you've succeeded in keeping some of the people affected alive"

"Yes, but they're in carbonite freezing and those that we succeeded in doing that were lucky breaks"

"Don't worry we'll have a cure to help them, any of the government people survive?"

"No none, they killed themselves pretty quickly"

"Understood"

She then turns to the Starfleet officers with her and hands over her belt while putting on the inhibitor bracelet

"You keep that belt with you at all times, and I need to be quick about it because I probably won't be able to keep the bracelet on for long...how long did the Jedi affected by the virus last?"

"Thirty minutes"

"Got it, Portland to  _New Hope_ "

"This is the  _New Hope_  go ahead"

"I finally found out what's going on and it's not good I need you to lock onto my commbadge so that when I give the signal you beam me directly to the brig and the special cell, also have a security team and medical team both on standby in the cell so that my blood can be taken immediately. The virus that affected the crops also affects people and I won't be able to remain sane for long, also make sure I have nothing that will allow me to kill myself or others"

"Understood, standing by for your signal"

"OK we also need open comms because I might not get a chance to contact you guys again"

Five minutes later she found a rabid dog and allowed herself to get bitten

" _New Hope_ beam me up now!"

She's soon inside a Force inhibitor cell and there were two security guards and a medical team on standby, and the medical team quickly took a blood sample and did basic wound cleaning and managed to get out of the cell before Ashland lost it

"We'd better find a cure fast, but at least she can't kill us or herself"

"How is she going to eat until we get the cure?"

"I don't know, for all I know we'll have to sedate her until we find a cure just to keep her from hurting herself by constantly trying to escape and hitting the force field"

"Well let's hope we don't get to that point"

"Agreed"

Fortunately the medical team found a cure within two days and soon gave her the cure and inoculated the rest of who would be part of the away team so that everyone else would remain safe while on planet. All they had to wait for now was Ashland to wake up because she had lost consciousness soon after being given the injection

"How long will it take for her to wake up?"

"I don't know Captain, all I do know is that the supplies are wearing out but we have the cure and are waiting for Portland to wake up so that we can give it to the planet, I heard something about carbonite freezing being involved for people affected"

"Yes they were the lucky ones"

"I see"

"Captain, what should we do about Sentinel Portland until we can confirm that the cure worked?"

"Keep her in here, and then if we find out that it didn't work you're going to have to tweak your inoculations for the away team"

"I know but don't worry I already have a plan in place"

That's when another person joined in on the conversation because they didn't notice it but Ashland had woken up while they were talking

"What plan would that be doctor? I know for a fact that tweaking an inoculation after having already given it to someone is hard work, trust me the medical team has been doing that for Sentinel's since I joined years ago, but fortunately for you this time tweaking isn't needed"

"So it worked then good, now then Portland can I send more people besides the others that went down with you the first time?"

"So long as you follow the restrictions that I set for the away team"

"Okay then let's do it"

"One more thing and this is for the doctor, the inoculation might have worked, and so far there doesn't seem to be any side effects but just how long ago did you give the rest of the away team injections?"

"Three hours ago, I did them before you because we weren't sure how long you would be out"

"And how long ago did you do my injection?"

"Two hours ago"

"So I've been unconscious for a while I presume and woke up two hours after inoculation yet you haven't decided to wait to see if there are any side effects before giving the rest the inoculation?"

"Yes because even if there are side effects I know that the inoculation works and some inoculations simply come with side effects and you know that"

"True, but you should wait until you know all the side effects if any before giving the inoculation to others so that they have a warning"

"Well it's too late now, so how are we going to do this then?"

"Well like I said the restrictions still stand so I'm about to be very clever in figuring out who is and is not allowed on the mission because we need as many people available as possible yet still maintain the security of the ship especially if we have to bring any Tranaxa on board"

"Portland are you insane?"

"No sir I'm being practical because that actually is a huge possibility and you know it Captain"

"Okay  _if_  that happens what about the people who are Force sensitive, telepathic or empathic what am I supposed to do about them?"

"Easy let them go about their duties because it's your ship and that means they're the minority, and it also means that you're in charge not them"

"But the safety factor?"

"Won't be in play as much on board this ship because of established protocols, after all if it gets too bad we Sentinel's have Force inhibitors and the telepaths and empaths can help shield each other"

"What about Johnson? I thought you said he's an untrained and under developed empath"

"He's definitely untrained and still learning about his abilities, that's why it won't be a fellow empath or telepath that will shield him. I developed a...technique while in the Academy for people with telepathic or empathic abilities that are new to said abilities and are strong enough to need training. This was done under the supervision of the Admiralty and one of my teachers who needed help with a student who was an undetected empath until an incident during his class one day. They needed her abilities bound and controlled by someone else who was much stronger in their own abilities until she was awake and able to begin training to handle said abilities, once the training was begun the person that bound the cadet's abilities would slowly break the binding so that the cadet could use her abilities to their full potential. While I was working on the technique the medical team kept her in a medical coma for everyone's safety and had a Betazed check on her daily to make sure they weren't doing more harm then good. Once I finished and explained the technique to a Betazed that had worked with me on said technique so that I didn't make a mistake we went to the cadet and explained the situation and gave her a choice of whether or not she wanted her abilities bound until she could handle them"

"What would have happened if she had said no?"

"We simply would have had her check in more often and urge her to have the abilities bound before she went insane from her empathic abilities and then slowly begin the training so that she could control what she felt when. Fortunately she understood where we were coming from and agreed from the start so the Betazed bound her abilities and temporarily became a resident of San Francisco until she managed to control her empathic abilities on her own, the Betazed was her special tutor whom she met three times a week for two years due to the fact that she picked things up quickly. Due to the fact that I invented the technique I too can and will use the technique at need and if ordered to do so, if you want I can also teach the technique to an empath so that they can bind Johnson's abilities until he can control them on his own"

"No you're the best option we have, but Portland at the first sign of trouble you are to hand over those responsibilities to someone else and that's an order"

"Oh don't worry, we have a Jedi team on the way that will handle the binding should I need someone to take over, I discovered that the technique is mandatory training for all Jedi healers, optional for everyone else even the Council and the team that's on the way will have at least two Jedi healers with them"

"How do you know they're on the way?"

"That's part of why I stayed unconscious so long, the Council made contact with me once I was well enough and gave me some details about the new team headed this way, we're still the primary people in charge but we're about to get some more help and supplies courtesy of the Republic"

"So Jedi healers will use your technique to help Johnson?"

"Yes, but only after it's confirmed that I can no longer manage"

"Actually I don't want you to use the technique yourself"

"But Captain..."

"Not when you're vital to the ground mission"

(Sighs) "I understand sir but we'll also need the Jedi healers"

"What if you explain the situation to them will one of them manage to do their job and still control an untrained empath?"

"Not in the way you're thinking"

"What do you mean by that?"

"The Jedi healer you choose will be able to give medical aid but they'll spend at least three fourths of the day each day in meditation to keep Johnson's abilities under control"

"Okay I need a plan b then"

"Yes you do"

The Commander spoke up then

"Captain, we all agree that telepaths, empaths and Sentinel's can't work and the Jedi healers also won't work but what about a medical device that helps control violent offenders?"

"That won't work on telepaths and empaths Commander"

"Why not Sentinel?"

"Because of what goes on in the minds of people like that. You have to understand that when I was developing this technique we talked about temporarily using a medical technique but we found out that not only does it not work on the brain like it would a violent offender but there's a huge risk of either increasing the persons ability or outright killing them because of the fact that there minds are way too attuned to those abilities. Johnson was given those abilities at age ten but the way it was done means we can't use the technique"

"And Soketh can't do it either because he's a touch telepath and a Sentinel"

"Exactly, not to mention he's not trained in the technique even though it would be helpful"

"So how long will we be stuck on Tanixi?"

"Not sure, but for now we need to rotate everyone who's allowed"

Five weeks later things were finally stable enough that the  _New Hope_  could leave and do other things and that's when they were informed that another Federation vessel had come


	61. Chapter 61

"They said something about a Burning Galaxy plan"

(Sighs) "Then that means we can't leave for at least a period of five years"

"What do you mean Sentinel Portland?"

"Easy the Burning Galaxy plan is and I quote 'If there is an enemy so powerful that even a Sentinel is afraid then as many refugees as possible are gathered and sent to the Republic and once there the Starfleet vessel that escorts them, or a vessel sent ahead alerts the Republic Senate of the fact that the Federation has fallen and we need a place to form a semblance of government that people had back home. While the refugees are setting up a form of government that people are familiar with in the Republic the Federation and more specifically Starfleet will do everything they can to slow the enemy down while files and records and anything that could damage the refugees is destroyed, and yes that would include the history of many planets if not for the fact that it's being preserved in Republic archives by their request. Normally once we receive word the Federation has fallen the Republic will send aid as quickly as possible but that's not how it will work this time, this time the Republic is to wait at least five years before attempting to defeat the enemy' end quote, the reason why is because there's a possibility of people being stuck behind enemy lines that will form a resistance and once a resistance is established we can use their bases and tactics to regain the Federation"

"Like the Rebellion of old"

"Exactly Chancellor, I presume that you've been told that we need a place to serve as base for a form of government familiar to Federation citizens?"

"Exactly Portland, we don't quite have a planet chosen but for now they can stay on Coruscant or Naboo seeing as how those are the safest planets we can think of"

"Portland, just why did the Federation activate this Burning Galaxy plan?"

"First off we got a report from a Sentinel mentioning a code Death Star and all Jedi understand the implications of  _that_  code, but for the Burning Galaxy plan to be activated that means all means of taking that location down failed"

"And for those of us not in the know just what does code Death Star mean?"

"Big enemy base, and the location doesn't matter just the size"

"And the second reason?"

"That's the thing I don't know why the Federation decided to activate the Burning Galaxy plan, but we were ordered to stay for two years before returning home just in case, did the ship acting as escort mention anything?"

"No but only because we didn't let them give us a full report yet, they looked like they could use some sleep and a chance to clean up"

The Captain breaks in just then

"If you want as Captain of the  _New Hope_  I can give a silent inquiry to the Captain of the arriving Starfleet vessel and hopefully get some answers including just how many more are on the way"

"No Captain, we'll let them rest and then ask for a reckoning tomorrow, though we would appreciate you being part of the meeting"

"Senate in session?"

"Yes, tomorrow after three should work"

"Fine by me"

The next day several Starfleet officers were seen in the Senate and they were giving a full report explaining what the Burning Galaxy plan was and just why it was activated and that's when Sentinel Portland spoke up

"Captain Anderson, just what was it that told Starfleet to activate the Burning Galaxy plan because I know it wasn't just a code Death Star"

"Do you know about the file that was hacked that not many people can access because it has a level 15 security lock using Republic security levels?"

"Yes, I was the one who put the lock on and was alerted to the fact that the lock had been broken"

"Well about two weeks ago second year Probation Sentinel Sara Koflen was on summer training when she got a sudden feeling in the Force and told the Captain of the ship she was on that she had to take care of something as a Sentinel not a Starfleet cadet so she was given permission to leave the ship with orders to keep in regular contact which she agreed to easily knowing it was for the best. She discovered that the group who hacked the level 15 security code and the people who caused a code Death Star to be activated had joined together into one group and are doing their best to start a war with the Republic, though that's slow going since all Starfleet officers a certain rank and higher were given information about that file so that they understood just why it was secured in the first place"

"And where is Probation Sentinel Sara Koflen now?"

"Dead, she died getting the information to a Romulan vessel that was nearby her location when she realized she wouldn't make it back to the ship she had been assigned to for the summer"

"I see, thank you for the report Captain, guess the Burning Galaxy plan is the only option left then, that is if Sentinel Koflen knew about that option being considered and said it herself to activate the plan"

"Actually she was aware of that plan and said that there was no other choice if we were to stop the two groups, the right people having the information of that file and understanding it is helping but there are planets that are not part of the Federation that could cause trouble"

"I know, for now though we need to find a suitable planet to start a Federation government system in the Republic since we're stuck here for at least five years"

"Portland, just where are we going to find a suitable planet?"

"That's something the Senate needs to figure out, for now though my mind is going wonky"

That's when Anderson actually  _looked_  at Portland and noticed just what was going on and pulled her aside to give her some privacy

"Portland when was the last time you actually slept for more than three hours?"

"Um... since shortly before I got bit, too many things just come up and I can't get any sleep, I was planning on having chamomile tea with poppy don't worry it'll be safe because it's not Force visions or memories keeping me up it's the whole Tanixi mess"

"Okay, but since it's been so long since you've had proper sleep I want you to have the tea in medical just in case"

"Works for me and I was planning on that anyways because you're right it's been a while and I haven't had sleep in so long there might be a problem"

"What sort of problems?"

"That's the thing I have no idea what can happen if I haven't had proper sleep for too long simply because I'm too busy. I could have the same symptoms as when I have a Force vision or memories or I could have different symptoms, for all we know I could have no symptoms except sleeping longer than normal I just don't know Captain"

"Okay, well get back to the ship and get to medical so that you can get some sleep"

"Right I'll have...medical alert you if there are any problems"

She goes back to the ship and then to medical where a doctor asks what they can do for her that day

"Just need to be monitored while I have the chamomile/poppy tea seeing as how I haven't had more than three hours a sleep a night since shortly before the Tanixi mission"

"Understood, shall we tell the Captain if there are any problems?"

"Yes, and make records as well so that we know for future reference with the other Sentinel's that they too either can't do it or need to be tested to see if their species can handle the mix after being exhausted and unable to get proper sleep in so long"

"Got it, just how have you been functioning though...you haven't used the forbidden meditation technique have you?"

"No, just a lot of caffeine and if I'm lucky a few catnaps every now and then but not many"

"How did no one notice the catnaps?"

"No clue, now then the tea?"

"Right, we'll let you sleep until you wake up naturally unless there's a problem and then once that's sorted out we'll sedate you so that you can get sleep"

"Got it...good night"

She finishes her tea and goes to sleep soon after. While she was being monitored in her sleep the Senate worked on finding a place for the Federation to set up operations while they were stuck in the Republic, they also made sure that there would be enough room for Starfleet to continue the education of their cadets if any managed to get there and making sure after all cadets graduated it would still be able to teach people from the Republic about the Federation for when it was time to fight back. Refugees were being given emergency housing in the meantime in locations that weren't too expensive but also not too cheap so that they didn't have to worry about being robbed of what they had left if any, basically not too much security but not too little either

"What exactly is needed so that we can handle the refugees coming in here now and over the period of the next year or so?"

"Well we're actually going to need at least one completely uninhabited planet and then again we might need more room we just don't know, we'll also need a means of getting food that we eat that you might not have available"

"You mean growing the food"

"Exactly, though the meat will not be the same and we can't replicate that"

"Exactly, though since you eat replicated food a lot maybe all you need is replicators?"

"Won't work in the Republic quite the same way"

"Why not?"

"Not enough power in most places"

"Oh that actually makes sense"

"Sentinel Portland will have a say in where the refugees stay because she understands things better than we do"

"What about us from Starfleet?"

"Do you understand the intricacies of environment's of both the Federation and the Republic like Portland does Captain?"

That made everyone pause because that's when they truly realized that only Republic Sentinel's could truly work out where refugees from either side could stay because only they had experienced both galaxies weather patterns on multiple planets

"Okay you guys win, that is until we get more Sentinel's that started out in the Republic"

"Works for us but since Portland should be up soon enough we might not need them and not all refugees will make it I deem"

"And some won't be given the chance to escape, plus part of the plan is that some Starfleet officers go underground until the time is right"

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

(Sighs) "I'm afraid that a change in the Burning Galaxy plan was made without Portland's knowledge, mainly because the change just recently happened when we realized that two different groups were teaming up to cause problems. When I say that some Starfleet officers will go underground as part of the plan I mean that they will be thought dead and go to places that Starfleet officers are not normally found and they will be part of the resistance that will help us in five years, slowly gathering supplies and intel while they wait for the right moment to reveal themselves"

"So there won't be as many Starfleet officers as you think because they'll either be dead or in hiding waiting for the moment to strike back at their oppressors"

"Exactly, this plan modification was made by the Admiralty when they realized what was going on and there's a chance that there will be Starfleet officers following the modified Burning Galaxy plan without the knowledge of the Admiralty because while some ships are being ordered to partake in that modification there might be others forced to do so to stay alive. All ships will have knowledge of the Burning Galaxy plan by now and some might volunteer to stay behind without orders while others are ordered to stay behind, but hopefully we'll still have enough ships for escort to the Republic"

"I think this is something that Portland will need to know once she wakes up"

"Speaking of which, just why did you send her to the ship for sleep anyways Captain Anderson?"

"Easy, she's only been getting three hours of sleep a night since shortly before Tanixi, I know for a fact that she's caught a few catnaps here and there but it's not enough for her to be truly functioning and she needs the sleep, but it's being done in sickbay so that they can keep an eye on her"

"Why would they do that?"

"Remember the report that chamomile, almonds, and poppy affect Sentinel's a lot more than regular Starfleet officers? I found out that they can't have those items if they've been having Force visions or memories keeping them up frequently, too dangerous but I don't know if not having lots of sleep lately due to being busy will affect them like the other two options so I have to have her monitored just in case the same effect happens"

"Oh makes sense, but why not just sedate her then?"

"Natural sedative isn't as dangerous as synthetic and might let her sleep more naturally and deeply"

"Fine, when will she wake up?"

"That's something we don't know yet, normally between twelve to sixteen hours but due to the fact that she hasn't slept in a long time..."

"How long will you wait until it's decided that it's just too dangerous?"

"As soon as issues pop up, and then if she's out for longer than forty-eight hours after the combination stops working we'll know that it isn't viable when a Sentinel hasn't properly slept in several weeks due to being pulled every which way"

"Why's that?"

A Jedi Master speaks up at that

"Because if a Jedi is out for longer than forty-eight hours after medical intervention and is just being monitored for side effects then something has gone seriously wrong, unless it's because of the Force, but even then there would be readings Starfleet would see to alert them to the fact that it's the Force keeping the Sentinel under"

"Not to mention Soketh would also know if it was the Force keeping Portland asleep"

"How long before you try to forcibly wake her up?"

"Ninety-six hours, she has four days after the natural sedatives stop working to wake up on her own, after that we'll wake her up with drugs and if that doesn't work...we'll do tests to see what's wrong and then take measures to keep her alive if need be"

Just then Anderson received a call that he was hoping he never received


	62. Chapter 62

" _New Hope_ to Captain Anderson"

"This is Captain Anderson go ahead"

"Captain, Sentinel Portland just had a seizure, blood work shows that somehow her food was contaminated with a poison that reacts to chamomile, thing is Portland wouldn't have known about the poison interaction or even that she had been poisoned until she drank chamomile tea in the Republic because this toxin is more common in the Republic then it is in the Federation"

"So someone in the Republic wants her dead and knew about chamomile then"

"Not quite, because the poison is designed to interact to several different triggers that are common in the Republic as well, for all we know they didn't know about Federation foods that it could react to"

(Sighs) "I see, guess we'll have to do the tests another day then since the poison tainted the results"

"Yeah, we've drugged her and will keep her unconscious for at least two days to make sure that the poison is flushed out of her system, once she wakes up we'll tell her what happened and have her do tests at a later date. Captain did you guys have tainted food as well?"

"Not sure, best get checked out though"

"Agreed, because this could have been an attack on the Senate since the poison only entered her system about two hours ago"

"During lunch...yeah we're going to get tested"

Turned out that the lunch everyone had was indeed poisoned but fortunately no one had eaten or drank anything that the poison reacted to since that time so everyone was given the antidote with no ill effects. Meanwhile Portland was in a drug induced coma to give her body a chance to recover from the poisoning but only because the medics weren't sure if it was safe for Portland to go into a Healing trance already exhausted from lack of sleep, the doctors also decided to test a few more things about Portland and her abilities as a Sentinel in regards to healing through some blood work that they took about every two hours while she was in the coma. The reason behind this was that ever since Portland had revealed herself as a Jedi all those years ago a theory had been presented that Sentinel's burn through certain drugs faster because of the Force thus the reason why some drugs don't work at all while others don't keep a Sentinel down for as long as they're supposed to without a stronger dose that would be considered lethal to some races, but they had never tested that theory because they deemed it unnecessary but now that Portland had almost died because of poisoning they  _had_  to know such things so that they could tailor treatment's for Sentinel's a lot better in situations like this

"I get the feeling that we're still missing something important in regards to Sentinel treatment but we won't get anything until Portland wakes up"

"And since we're keeping her unconscious for another day that might take a while"

"And I don't think she'll be happy about the fact that the testing was interrupted because of the poison"

"I  _really_  don't want to know what she has to say to that"

"We might find out anyways you know"

"Yeah I know, what about the fact that in five years we'll be at war with the Federation?"

"I don't know, but I do know that the Republic will do their best to get everyone free once more because that's the main reason we'll be fighting the Federation, the fact that it's not free"

"We still have a little under five years before we officially go to war, who knows there's a chance that war might not happen if Starfleet regains control fast enough"

"No we're headed to war alright, that was set in motion when the refugees started arriving"

"But still five years for a fledgling resistance to get started?"

"Yes, because it didn't take the Rebellion long to truly get started once people started to get organized into a Rebellion in the Republic"

"But because of how big the Federation is our people will slowly build up in secret"

"Plus it will take a while for bases to actually start up and we need intel on those bases if possible"

"True enough, but at least we know of two bases to take down"

"Yeah and those two might have the most security"

"Yeah, we will have our work cut out for us"

"In the meantime we're on standby around Coruscant so that Portland can make recommendations once she's awake"

"How many planets will we need again?"

"At least one maybe two, we don't quite know yet how many planets we'll need but the groups will definitely be diverse"

"And we'll also have to think about food supply as well"

"Portland knows what to factor in for everyone in regards to what's needed and what's impossible"

"What about the Dominion? I know for a fact that there's no way we'll be able to provide the Jem'Hadar with ketracel-white"

"The Dominion is being locked down via bombs on the wormhole apparently"

"Maybe some of the Federation will go there then"

"Most likely, and they'll also probably be doing things to help but they won't be active either except on occasion until five years from now"

"Well for now we have work to do and also hope Portland wakes up soon"

"Don't worry she should wake up within two days of ending the sedation we've been forced to use on her. If she doesn't then we've got problems and will have to take drastic actions"

"Like what?"

"The carbonite freezing in a bacta tank, but only after putting her into stasis"

"Is there an official name for that process?"

"No no one can think of a name and if someone does they're to alert Starfleet via the message things"

"Oh makes sense then"

Two days later Portland was awake and not happy about the test being interfered with but she understood why medical intervention had been needed

"Looks like I'll have to wait another day to test the blend"

"Sorry Portland, that would have been good information for us, but um we do have some questions in regards to Sentinel's and their healing abilities"

"Like what?"

"Why didn't you go into the healing trance as soon as your body discovered the poison and also why didn't you suspect poison until you drank the tea?"

"There's two reasons, as for why my body didn't detect the poison until it was too late is that the Force doesn't work that ways, we need symptoms more often then not to discover we've been poisoned. As for why I didn't go into the healing trance, well that's a bit more tricky and it goes into the fact that not only am I a Sentinel but also a Starfleet officer. I could have gone into the trance immediately but I decided not to go into the trance just in case others were poisoned as well, and while I was drugged the Force actually somehow managed to talk to me and revealed that a healing trance wouldn't have been effective this time"

"Okay how did the Force talk to you when you were sedated?"

"I have no idea, except that it might be part of my Force trouble indicator abilities"

"Well, there are several other questions about Sentinel healing but those can wait another day"

"The Jedi Council wants a report from you as soon as you feel up to it so that they know you're okay and also to see if there are any new missions for you"

"Got it, and why didn't you request the information from Jedi Healers in regards to what a Sentinel needs or does to heal?"

"Because we've discovered over the years that Starfleet Sentinel's bodies change ever so slightly during their four year training period, we theorize that it has to do with the warp cores of the ships but we're not completely sure about that, for all we know it could be all the inoculations you guys need we just simply don't quite know the truth. The  _very_  slight change means any information about Sentinel's is useless coming from a Jedi Healer"

"How slight is slight?"

"About a 0.5 percent change"

Ashland meditates on this and discovers it was actually a combination of inoculations and the warp core combined that changed the Sentinel's because the Sentinel's were more sensitive to even slight radiation emmiting from the warp core


	63. Chapter 63

"Okay it's actually inoculations and warp core combined that has caused the changes in us"

"Oh that's helpful to know actually. But yeah you need to report in because you never gave them a full report about Tanixi did you?"

"Oh good point, I was going to and then well..."

"Exactly"

Ashland actually went down to the planet to give her report in person when they were interrupted by a communication from the Federation and Ashland instantly switched to sign language because she had temporarily served with the officer before and knew that they were deaf/mute

*Mark what happened?*

*We've lost Vulcan and two refugee ships, we need Republic help to get people to safety*

*That's not part of the Burning Galaxy plan*

*I know but I also needed to get in contact with the Republic to tell them that the five year wait is to last six years instead, we lost the President two days ago and we need an extra year to have leadership established because the Admiralty is now unsure of who should lead the resistance overall*

*I will pass that on, the refugees will be safe here but you have to get them to us on your own we can provide escorts just inside our space but other than that we can't do anything due to how dangerous it is right now*

Communication is cut and the Council was going to discuss what had just happened when they noticed Ashland wasn't paying attention to them anymore and very suddenly she just up and disappeared, only to be told that she was going so fast that she could barely be seen except as a streak. Two minutes later she was reported to be outside the Temple, armed and ready for a fight with her phaser out

"Why is she fighting as a Starfleet officer and not a Jedi?"

"She's a Sentinel, she probably understands what's going on better than we do"

Meanwhile Ashland was acting like she would fight like a Starfleet officer because she knew that her having a lightsaber wouldn't be productive because what she had sensed was a grieving and angry Jem'Hadar and as such she knew that she needed to stun the Jem'Hadar instead of trying to kill him, she would use Force suggestions if needed but she would try and talk him down and phaser him to bring him back to reality first

"Stand down soldier and get your act together"

Unfortunately several high powered phaser hits and several attempts to slow him down by talking later Ashland had to start using the Force by pushing him back and also using it to avoid getting hurt. She finally used a very powerful Force suggestion to stop the Jem'Hadar but it ultimately took three Jedi to stop the Jem'Hadar long enough for him to see enough reason to simply stop what he was doing but he wasn't rational enough to listen to Ashland beyond just standing there calming himself down

"Okay, let's allow him to calm down some more and then I'll talk to him to explain the situation to him better, I will also need to talk to the Dominion representatives"

"We'll call them over then"

"How long will it take for the Jem'Hadar to calm down enough for you to rationally talk to him?"

"Shouldn't be too much longer, my authoritative voice combined with Force suggestions should get him back to normal calm levels soon enough"

Fifteen minutes later the Dominion representatives were there and the Jem'Hadar was calm enough for Ashland to rationally talk to the group

"So we're basically stuck here for the moment"

"Exactly, and we've essentially lost communication with the Federation except trickles of refugees so we're going to have to be very cautious about any calls from the Federation. We got lucky earlier today because I recognized the officer and the code that was used as soon as comms were up but like I said we shouldn't expect anything else except from the refugees"

"How long are we to expect refugees?"

"About a year and then we shouldn't expect anyone else from the Federation. I'm going to have my work cut out with the Starfleet officers that make it here because none of the Admiralty will make it here and I am the senior Starfleet officer anyways because this is where I am originally from but I would have given any Admirals a degree of autonomy so that there's a semblance of normal but that's no longer an option"

"So what's next?"

"I need to find one or two planets for refugees and that will be complicated all on its own"

"Can we help? I know we don't know the Republic like you do but we've been to a few planets that have no life except natural plants and animals that the Republic keeps empty for various reasons"

"Okay you show me what planets you know are available and I'll take a look as well and then make the decision based on recommendations from you and what I know is needed"

"Okay, expect the file to come within the next two days, and Portland we're staying on Coruscant to relieve the burden and help the Federation be represented"

"Okay, and there might be others that decide to stay on Coruscant as well but we still need a planet"

"Oh I can see a lot of fights at first due to cultural differences"

"I know but we'll just have to deal with it as we go"

Two days later the file was sent to Portland and she was juggling two different files at once because not only did she look at a planet individually she compared a few that seemed similar to each other so that she knew what was best between the similar planets, she also looked at people who stated they wanted to stay either on Coruscant or Naboo who had offered their planet for refugees as well. The reason why was to see who would fit best and who wouldn't be a good fit particularly on Naboo

"Okay I finally have a planet for the refugees and sent messages to the refugees that either want to see on Coruscant and those who want to stay on Naboo, a few of the people will actually be better with the Gungans, but only if they allow it if not then they have to stay on the surface"

"Have you let Naboo know about it?"

"Yes I just messaged them and they will ask the Gungans about it but for now they can stay on the surface with a few families that have volunteered their homes for the refugees. Coruscant is ready as well and as for the planet it will take work for it to be fully functional but if they have basic supplies it will be a good start and I have a feeling that things will work out if they are forced to work together to make a home even if it's temporary"

"Okay that should work then, it will also help the cultural differences as well because they will have to work together to survive"

"Yeah, in the meantime I'm going to medical, memories are starting to flare up again and I haven't gotten a whole lot of sleep in the past two days. I decided to work to see if that would help but it didn't and I am in desperate need of some sleep now"

"Why not use the natural sedatives that work like chamomile, poppy, or almonds?"

"Too dangerous, can't explain it properly because I'm beat, tell the Captain that I sent the files to his PADD as well"

"I'll also tell him you went to medical to get a sedative"

"No need, sickbay will alert the Captain themselves, standard procedure started while I was at the Academy"

"Heard that an experiment went wrong will you try that again at a later date?"

"Yep, but only when I'm sure poison has not been involved, the seizures probably saved my life alerting medical personnel to a problem, probably saved the lives of many others too"

"Okay, now then get some sleep, you look like you need it"

"I do, believe me I do, see you when I wake up from sedation and natural sleep"

Ashland goes to medical and they are surprised to see her again so soon after the failed experiment

"What's going on Portland?"

"I need my sedatives, my memories are keeping me up again"

"Probably started back to work too soon after the poisoning then"

"Not likely, the most likely result was the combination of lack of sleep and poison, it's happened before"

"When?"

"Back when I was simply a Jedi, medical files are accessible if you need more information about that"

"Mission kept you up?"

"Something like that yeah"

"Okay I'll look into it because other Sentinel's might have the same problem as you, other Starfleet officers too now that I think about it"

"Yeah, well, I need sleep so can I get my sedatives now?"

"Sure, I'll have a nurse go back to your quarters with you in case you fall asleep on the way back to your quarters"

She's given the sedatives and goes back to her quarters for sleep, and the Captain was informed as well so that he didn't panic when she didn't show up for her shift like normal

"Thanks for telling me doctor, what do you suggest for later?"

"Get her back on duty as soon as possible because quite honestly that's what she needs right now, besides if she gets a feeling in the Force she'll hijack the ship anyways"

"Good point, but I'm going to put her on limited duty until she gets some real sleep for at least a month due to the fact that she really needs it and not medical sleep either"

"Makes sense to me, hope she agrees as well"

"She probably will, she knows her body better than any of us and as long as she isn't using a forbidden meditation technique she'll probably see the sense in my order"

"What forbidden meditation technique?"

"Something that isn't well known because she over did it and risked her health. Basically when she meditated it was as if she had gotten a full nights rest even if that wasn't really the case, the downside is if you over do it eventually the lack of sleep will catch up to you and you'll simply collapse into unconsciousness, potentially a Healing trance or even a coma. The body's self defense against doing too much at once, the Force only circumvents those results for a short period of time and can do mental and physical damage while doing so"

"Like what?"

"Confusion is most common, memory loss can happen as well in the mental department and there were signs of heart damage, hormonal imbalances, and I also think the reports mentioned liver damage as well though I can't be too certain about that"

"She was also hallucinating at one point according to the reports"

"Of course I completely forgot about that"

"Okay so how did she avoid the problems with Tanixi"

"We made sure to drug her on occasion and also made sure she had at least three hours of sleep a night, it appears that Sentinel's don't need as much sleep depending on their training, whether given in the Temple or out in the field"

"Well either way we're going to have to wait and see how she feels before we decide whether or not to put her on limited duty for a month"

"We'll also have to wait and see what her reaction is to such an order"

"How long until she wakes up?"

"Not entirely sure Commander, but if she's not up in two days I'm going to check and see if it's because of the Force"

"Fine by me"

Suddenly Soketh cried out in pain and suddenly ran out of the bridge with the Captain and doctor following him because they realized that something had happened that was important and both wanted to make sure it didn't involve Portland

"I really hope it isn't Portland that's involved"

"Same here because she  _needs_  rest that isn't interfered with"

Fortunately what Soketh sensed was a science experiment gone seriously wrong and yes the doctor was needed as were several other medical personnel to help with the containment and transfer of those affected to sickbay

"Okay, that was unexpected but for now let's hope nothing else happens"

"Captain, Coruscant called apparently the Senate wants a little bit more help with security, at least until the refugees are completely settled and they're sure that there aren't any threats against the Federation representative's for what's happened there"

"Makes sense, who's the main group they're worried about?"

"A group from the Republic that don't really like the Federation for whatever reason"

"We can help with security until things are a little calmer makes sense considering what's going on right now, does the entire Senate know about the Burning Galaxy plan by now?"

"Yes they know, and they also know that there's a chance of them being invaded so they're asking us for cooperation in training exercises"

"Makes sense because we never know if the people who have taken over the Federation will try to take over the Republic and sense they're mainly our enemy we should take point in those battles if at all possible"

"They're also talking about making clones again, like in the Clone Wars"

"I thought they never trusted Kamino and the clones after what happened the last time"

"Yeah except this time the Republic isn't under the control of a Sith and there won't be any secret orders to kill the Jedi or turn against the Republic for whatever reason"

"Okay, but I hope they understand I'll be wary of the clones until I have proof no one especially Sentinel's are in danger from betrayal"

"I think they'll understand, they should because you're just trying to protect your fellow Starfleet officers"

"Exactly"

The next day Portland woke up and actually requested a reduced schedule until she was getting sleep more consistently without sedatives. She then went to the holodeck for some hand to hand training with some of the newer officers to see just how well they could fight. As soon as she got in the holodeck she put on the Force inhibitor bracelet

"Sentinel Portland why did you put on the bracelet?"

"Because this is a test of your skills and most people you'll be fighting aren't going to be Force sensitive as such this puts us on an even setting, at least in the special abilities department"

"Why only in the special abilities department?"

"Don't forget I've been a Starfleet officer longer than you have and as such I have more experience fighting people then you do"

"Oh...that makes sense then, but Sentinel Portland what about if we go up against Force sensitives because they either don't have control over themselves or are just plain evil?"

"Don't worry we'll deal with that another time, for now I just want to assess your hand to hand skills against an opponent who can't use the Force"

An Ensign who thought he was all that though spoke up and mocked her


	64. Chapter 64

"Pft, I bet you can't actually fight, after all I've read your records and you were thought dead until just a few months ago, I bet you haven't fought a  _real_  opponent since your fight for freedom and I bet that was just a fluke on your part"

"Oh you really think I haven't regained my former strength?"

"Indeed I do"

"Then let's go at it Ensign"

"You shouldn't, after all I was the best in my class you can't beat me because you've just been going up against holograms and easy holograms at that"

The reason why the Ensign was saying that was because for the past few weeks she  _had_  been taking it easy in training but that was because she could tell she was getting less and less required sleep and so she simply did basic maintenance for the most part, though she  _did_  also do the harder programs just not as long and not as often either

"I think I can handle myself, after all I may not have been with Starfleet for a few years but I still have experience over you"

Her first opponent got into the standard starting position for hand to hand combat but Portland just stood there in a relaxed position. What Portland didn't know was that she was currently being monitored by one of the few teachers that knew of her abilities from the beginning remotely and they recognized her starting position

"Looks like she's going to be underestimated again"

"What do you mean?"

"That's Portland's starting position for hand to hand combat. You see back when she first started she had to learn our form of self defense and that included phasers, the whole reason we developed the Force inhibitors we use today with the bracelets is because Portland and the other Sentinel's simply can't fight without using the Force in some way and that includes sensing their surroundings. The problem was we knew the possibility of her not being able to access the Force for whatever reason and as such with her help we designed a way to temporarily take her ability to feel the Force so that she could get in practice fighting without it, apparently she based her Sentinel's Defense on the hand to hand combat training we gave her"

"Actually according to her the Force vision she had made her develop the Sentinel's Defense even if it was very raw the first time she used it, but I think if you want the whole story you'll have to ask her after this session"

Meanwhile the Ensign was taunting Portland because she was just standing there not even going into the standard self defense starting formation

"Are you too scared to put up your fists now that you don't have access to your precious Force?"

"Just start already would you?"

"Fine, but don't think I didn't warn you it's your own fault for not getting into the starting position when I did"

The Ensign makes a go at her but all of a sudden his punch was blocked and just like that the fight was on and everyone could tell Ashland was holding back on both her speed and strength and  _winning_

"Come on Ensign surely you can do better than that if you think you're the greatest fighter Starfleet has after all you  _did_ get top marks in your hand to hand combat training...or did you lie about that?, surely you can beat a Sentinel who hasn't been with Starfleet in years due to being a prisoner and hasn't really been fighting an actual person since her fight for freedom several months ago"

The Ensign got madder and madder as he fought her and Ashland was just taking it easy, in fact the Ensign was so mad he didn't even notice when Portland started to speed things up a notch and even then everyone else could tell she was still holding back. Finally Ashland had had enough of the arrogant Ensign and dodged a punch aimed for her head (because he was at that point that he wasn't going for body blows like his training taught him but actually aiming for her head to do head damage) and punched him in the stomach  _hard_ , taking him down for the count

"Now then I think that's taught you not to underestimate an opponent, though tell me how did you pass the academy with your arrogance and anger issues?"

"His dad gave him a pass actually"

"Who is his dad Ensign?"

"Not quite sure but he was pretty influential in Starfleet, though not an Admiral because he boasted he was the first after a family of cowards who only fought with their words and never saw real action. Either way he got through because of his dad bribing the right people and making sure he didn't get noticed by the Admiralty"

"Well I hope he's just learned his lesson because otherwise he's going to get himself and others killed, now then next person is up and I hope you don't underestimate me like he did"

Another Ensign spoke up

"I'll go, unlike him I actually did get pretty high marks in self defense class, not the greatest but hey I only managed to get a blue belt before I decided to go into Starfleet"

"That's still pretty good, only three belt levels before black if I remember correctly"

"That's correct"

"Okay then I won't go as easy on you as I did the first person but remember this is just an assessment of your skills so no going all out okay?"

"Works for me"

Ashland could quickly tell that this Ensign not only rightfully earned the belt but dedicated himself whenever possible to keeping his skills up, finally though Ashland got three points and won but only because of the fact that she  _was_  a more experienced Starfleet officer and as such had more field experience in using her skills in a practical setting instead of a theoretical or testing setting

"Good job keeping me on my toes, the only reason I won in the end is because I have a bit more experience taking the advantage when I see it, I actually gave you a deliberate opening once so that it wouldn't be one sided but you missed it and didn't take the opportunity"

"Yeah, I never saw an opening as far as I could tell so if there was one I did indeed completely miss it but hey I still gave you a workout and managed to get in two points. I honestly thought I had you with that leg sweep but you managed to turn it around quickly"

"But only just, if I had lost my balance with that move I pulled you would have managed to get a point instead, trust me I've been taken down by more than one opponent with that move"

"I see, I'll keep that in mind if I ever have to use these skills in real life"

Soon Ashland was done assessing the Ensigns and gave most of them good points and bad points but her first opponent wasn't all that good and simply wouldn't listen to her

"Fine, don't say I didn't warn you though, because your arrogance and anger could get you or even another person killed one day"

"Yeah right"

"You don't believe me do you? I guess you still have much to learn I did and I learned my lesson the hard way, back during my first summer training session. I read up on the assignment and thought I knew everything there was to know about the culture and rituals of the planet we were going to on a simple diplomatic meeting. Stupid arrogant me almost got the entire away team killed, as it is we did lose a Lt. and everyone else was wounded in varying degrees, I myself spent two days under sedation. Turned out that not only had I botched a greeting one day I also messed up on who to bow to when greeting important people and accidentally bowed to an assistant of one of the senators instead of the senator himself, because once a week that region doesn't dress like they normally do which denotes roles and instead allows a person on staff to wear higher ranking clothes if they're an apprentice getting close to taking over either their own business or are far enough in their training that within the next two years their teachers are going to step down and let the apprentice take over the role. Due to that unique tradition the usual greetings used to address the senator doesn't apply and instead of addressing the apprentice as the senator I should have bowed and greeted both equally as an off worlder who isn't there as much is supposed to, and that's for the entire planet actually though we weren't called on it until that day because of the fact that we were Starfleet officers. Problem was several people were insulted on the senators behalf and a minor skirmish ensued before we managed to beam off planet"

"Why didn't you know that aspect of the culture if you had read up on them as much as you say you have?"

"Thing is that wasn't in the files until after the meeting because it isn't often that they got off worlders and every other time someone visited they left after only a few hours, two days maximum. After that day I not only read up on the culture and rituals of the planet before going down I also observed the actual people to see if there was something missed in the reports given to officers of away teams"

The Captain had come down to help sort out any other issues and spoke up then

"And she's saved lives because of that a few times according to her files"

"Yeah well, the one mission was a complete accident after all I wasn't even supposed to be on that mission but was chosen at the last minute by the Admiralty deciding I needed more exposure to a culture so unique even I had never experienced something like it in the Republic. Just be glad I was there because otherwise everyone would have been executed"

"Why would everyone have been executed?"

"The thing is the people were a very private people at the time of the mission so we basically knew nothing about them except a few greeting protocols and the person elected to speak to us by the people. Now then these people have a unique culture in that they don't really have a religion per se but they have customs and rules that must be followed to the letter else something will go wrong in some way, a fellow cadet hadn't paid attention to the speaker when he mentioned forbidden zones and the proper way to greet certain people and accidentally headed towards a forbidden zone soon after we were dismissed to get to know the place we were going to be staying at for a while. I managed to stop him before he entered that particular zone because that zone was only meant for the leader of the planet and any representative's of the regions and any off worlders. Normally the punishment might have been some time in a security hold or community service for the offender, neither lasting longer than two months Earth time, but to enter a representative's zone of living was punishable by death for the trespassers and for off worlders that included the entire team that came to greet them including the representative of the off worlders. After we would have been killed communications would have been cut off with the Federation and the ship would have been forced to leave immediately or face destruction"

"Oh, and just how could you tell that just by observing people?"

"The body language of everyone when the forbidden zones were mentioned, more specifically that forbidden zone, it told me that we had better stay away from all the zones but particularly that one at all costs, I only learned of the death punishment after we left and they gave us more information about their culture"

"How did your team leader manage that?"

"Actually it turns out I was the one who managed that without saying a word unless directly spoken to, all because I observed and respected their rules to a degree that I could pass as one of them all without having access to the Force"

"You did all of that while under the influence of a Force inhibitor?"

"Yes, and let me tell you everyone was impressed by how well I did getting the planet to open up even just a little bit all through simply observing and respecting their culture"

The Captain decides to speak up to explain a few things further for everyone including Portland who had never really heard about the planet since her mission as a cadet


	65. Chapter 65

"Every year since then the planet has opened up and given us more and more information about their culture and rituals and have also made changes to their rules regarding forbidden zones and have even gotten rid of some of them as more and more off worlders are being accepted for visitations. They themselves were shocked when they found out it was a cadet that they had so much respect for because they knew that for Starfleet a cadet meant a student that was still learning so for a student of a military and scientific place to have as much respect for a culture they were visiting as she did they felt that Starfleet and the Federation must be doing something right in their teachings"

"Guess they still don't know about me being a Jedi and from the Republic huh?"

"Not as far as we can tell no"

"Is that important?"

"Could be, because that means they would know that I myself was still really learning about the Federation and for someone to learn two different things at once would probably impress them even more because they also have a huge amount of respect for scholars. So for an off worlder to be learning about the culture of their planet at the same time they are learning about the Federation would tell them much about the Republic and me, because you have to understand something at the time of that mission I had only been a cadet and in the Federation for...about six months and I was still debriefing the Admiralty and they were still debriefing me"

"Then why send you on such a mission?"

"Because of the fact that everyone including me was getting tired of me being stuck on campus...trust me a bored Sentinel who is still very new to a lot of things stuck in meetings explaining about her galaxy and being told about another galaxy and not getting a chance to explore it is a bit dangerous"

"How so?"

"Let's just say that the week before I was sent on the mission isn't discussed by the Admiralty very often and is really only brought up when a Sentinel starts to look like they're bored and feeling cooped up"

"Come on it couldn't have been that bad"

"Does three day clean up mean anything to you?"

"...I don't get it what three day clean up?"

That's when the Commander speaks up because he thought of something he had heard a few years after graduating because one of his cousins had been a cadet at the same time as Portland and she had mentioned a huge mess in one of the buildings that took three days to clean up and it had been done mostly by a lonely cadet no one really recognized, even with freshman cadets they only really knew her because she had been called to see the Admiralty frequently which interrupted class

"Wait a minute are you saying you're the one behind what my cousin called the science building disaster? She mentioned that one student was the main person who cleaned up the building but that others had to help out because of the size of the building, she was a third year cadet and there was a cadet fairly unknown who entered a little late and was called to see the Admiralty pretty often"

"Yeah that was me and trust me you don't want to know what I did to the building to cause it to be shut down for three days"

"Actually she told me because she was sent to supervise some first year cadets on the second day shortly before the dinner meal"

"Oh, that's because I managed to injure myself bad enough to need medical attention so someone else had to take over temporarily until I was cleared by the medical staff, a few other first year cadets were in need of punishment and were in my section under supervision just like I was but the supervisor had to take me to medical to get a deep laceration taken care of, but since they didn't need a teacher present they decided to give the supervisory position to a third year cadet who was going to be leading a fake mission in the next few days so they decided to give her a little practice, though they didn't have to do much according to the teachers"

"Yeah she said it was an easy job, a few of them just needed a little direction in what they should do next when their section of a room was done but other than that things went smoothly according to her"

"Yeah one of them had a background where they were taught not to do anything without orders while a few others were either OCD or low attention span"

"So you know exactly what the building was like for those three days don't you?"

"Not every little detail but yeah I know a good portion of it, tell me the south side of the building did you really?..."

"Yes I really did, and that's one of the main reasons you don't let a Sentinel get bored and feeling cooped up because we can get inventive without proper stimulation, and they're lucky I'm basically an ordinary human because some species are worse than me"

"Worse how could that day have been worse than what you did?"

"Trust me if you thought I was bad, you should see how bad a bored Gungan can get, if you thought Jar Jar was bad and clumsy, smarter and more coordinated Gungans are worse, and so far none of them have ever been Force sensitive enough to receive Jedi training"

"What makes you say that?"

"Okay, just remember this is before I joined the Federation but after I became a Knight. I was on a simple mission of peace when a faction that wasn't as peaceful on the planet decided to hold me hostage and I was in a cell that inhibited my use of the Force. I quickly discovered that a Gungan was with me and he had been a hostage much longer than I had been, he was actually a representative of the Gungans in the Naboo court and was currently missing and presumed dead for six months after an attack on his transport was made during a trip home. He had basically been planning his escape since his capture but couldn't do it because he was watched too closely so his plans got more and more elaborate as his captivity continued, after all he'd had nothing to think about  _but_  escape in all that time and I wasn't too keen on being a prisoner for long either so we decided to escape after I was a 'guest' for three nights and his plan worked and trust me it was an insane plan that only worked in part because I was a Jedi, granted I didn't have use of the Force but I retained all my other skills, and part of his elaborate plan was a huge prank of the leader of the group that captured me and that prank involved explosions, loud colorful explosions at that because he managed to find fireworks to set off, originally it was supposed to be a version of gun powder like in the old days of Earth but instead we got ourselves fireworks to play with, plus several other things that I don't think I'll mention. Let's just say by the time we finally exited the building we had whoever was left chasing us and the rest of the group simply surrendered to the local authorities pleading with them to keep us away from them citing mental torture at our hands, we basically made them insane in fifteen minutes and the clean up took three months from when we left"

"And that was a Gungan who wasn't a Jedi?"

"Yep"

"Okay you win glad you weren't a Gungan"

"Thought you would be"

"You know I still don't understand something about your self defense style"

"What's that professor?"

"Why did you choose a relaxed stance as your starting stance when being forced to go hand to hand? I know for a fact that once you have a lightsaber such a stance is impossible and Jedi bring out their lightsabers as soon as there's trouble, even if the lightsaber is in one hand"

"Tell me professor how many times was I underestimated at school by looking calm and relaxed?, basically another person in the crowd until I struck with my intelligence or some other skill I had picked up over the years, basically being an unassuming person"

"Pretty often now that I think about it, especially in the first year and a half of your education, you didn't really start showing your intelligence until about the second half of your second year"

"And that's what I based my starting form on, the unassuming person who doesn't look like they're capable of defending themselves until I strike at a moments notice"

"Just like that one training exercise your second year"

"Exactly"

"What training exercise?"

"I was supposed to simply be a field medic for a team in an exercise and I didn't have access to the Force that day, since it was all simulation training everyone knew that while we might get hurt it wouldn't be that bad and it was good training for everyone including me because it had been a while since I had practiced any field medicine techniques. Unfortunately things went wrong and the two cadets that were supposed to be our Commanding officers panicked and started giving out orders that would get people killed so I used a sedative on both of them and started giving my own orders. Once the dust metaphorically cleared everyone else realized they had been following the orders of a medic who was only ranked Ensign and as such didn't have the authority she was using but since I was the only one not panicking my orders made the most sense so they were followed. The teachers weren't too impressed by the cadets that were  _supposed_  to be leading the mission but they were impressed by my performance and were actually surprised I took command so easily because from the debriefs I had given them the past year they knew I didn't have much experience in giving orders to people"

"Either way she takes an unassuming position and uses that to her advantage"

"Though that won't be possible soon enough because eventually she'll be promoted to Commander and that means she'll have acknowledged authority over basically everyone on the ship except whoever she's serving under"

"I know that Captain, but for now being unassuming gives me an advantage one I will keep using until..."

Ashland suddenly grabs her head in pain and as soon as she let go she slammed her hand into the commbadge

"Portland to Soketh immediate scan of the area within three miles exclude Coruscant!"

"Already done Portland I sensed exactly the same thing you sensed"

"Let me and the Captain know as soon as results are in"

"Already planning on it"

"Good, if no results in fifteen minutes scan again, and Soketh I need to talk to you about another matter after your shift"

"Understood Portland"

"What's going on Sentinel?"

"Not quite sure yet Captain, I need more solid information then just a feeling before I say anymore"

"Don't tell me let me guess a brief feeling in the Force that's so vague you need a secondary means of confirming what you've felt"

"Exactly Captain, I need confirmation of something so until Soketh tells us anything it's best I keep quiet"

"Okay, oh and while you were training Coruscant called, they want us to stay to protect everyone but for the next two days they want an escort to the new refugee planet"

"Okay but only after we confirm that nothing...malicious is around"

Five minutes later Soketh called Portland back knowing the Captain was with her

"A cloaked ship was in the area up until shortly after you requested the scan I have no clue where they are headed but it's probably not good, I've alerted the Senate and they've alerted their planet members so that self defense forces are ready for trouble at a moments notice"

"What about Kamino?, because we won't really trust clones for a while but that's the major cloning facility that will be used to make the new clones needed for the Republic's defense"

"Don't worry there are ships headed out there now to defend them even as we speak"

"Okay, thanks for the information, don't forget I want to talk to you after your shift"

"Understood"

"Why do you need to speak with him Portland?, surely any concern you have can be spoken to me"

"Sorry Captain but at the moment it's strictly a Sentinel concern is that understood?"

The tone of Ashland's voice told him that she was not to be argued with and that this really was a concern for the Sentinel's and only the Sentinel's until such a time as they feel it right to reveal more. Something all Starfleet Captain's had been instructed on after Ashland revealed herself when the  _Texas_  had wound up in the Republic back when Ashland was simply known as an Ensign

"Understood Sentinel Portland, but I except the two of you to follow the rules set on you after you revealed yourself Portland"

"Don't worry Captain, when the time is right you'll be told what's going on"

Later that evening Soketh and Portland were in her quarters so that the meeting could be private

"Okay Sentinel Portland what exactly is going on?"

"I'm sure you've been getting feelings in the Force lately that something major is going to happen soon"

"Yes I have had such feelings in the Force, in fact it's what led me to request the posting on the  _New Hope_  because I had a vision of me with this exact crew defending what I now know is Naboo, the thing is you weren't in the vision, I was in civvies, and was slightly older than I am now, not by much but..."

"But enough to know that some time had passed since you entered Republic space"

"Exactly"

So Portland explained the vision she'd had while waiting for the  _New Hope_  and what she had done after seeing the vision

"I recently received a little bit more information in regards to that vision and when the time comes I need you to keep the crew safe and that means following your orders"

"Because you'll be in carbonite freezing"

"Exactly, now then like I said I have messages for the Admiralty and the Senate once I am frozen explaining things but most everyone else including the majority of Starfleet will have to believe you're dead until such a time as the Force reveals that you can come back, now then I don't know if I'll be around during that time or not but either way you have to make sure the Captain follows your orders to keep everyone safe, even if that includes sabotaging the comm system"

"I will, do you know why you'll be in carbonite freezing?"

"Not...exactly, though when I got the feeling I should inform you of the vision I also got the feeling that the reason why would be revealed soon"

"So all you knew was that you would be frozen in carbonite?"

"Exactly, I also know the planet where it will happen but other than that I have absolutely no clue"

"Don't worry I'll take care of the crew I promise, but don't you think we should tell the Captain about this? I know for a fact that he might try and avoid you going down if he knew ahead of time but he also knows not to interfere with the will of Force, they all got a harsh lesson the last time that happened"

"They also know better than to go against my full titles, but there's another reason why we can't tell the Captain yet"

"The time line too vague?"

"No, but I want you to meditate on telling the Captain about this and you'll know why, the Force will reveal all trust me"

"You could have just said the Force told you"

"Unfortunately it's a bit more complicated than that and thus the reason why you need to meditate on the reason why the Captain can't be told yet"

"Portland why can't you just explain it to me plainly?"

"Because it's not something that can be told, it has to be felt"

"Fine, but I'm doing it here and I want you to start the process"

"Why do you need me to start the meditation process? I know for a fact that you can enter the meditation on your own"

"You know that disturbance we felt a while ago?"

"What of it?"

"My connection to the Force has changed...lessened in some way I tried to use the Force in training and while I could use it accessing the Force was harder than normal"

"I haven't noticed any difference, but then I am also what's known as a Force Trouble indicator and as such things that affect a Jedi's ability to feel the Force doesn't affect me the same way if at all as it does normal Jedi or Sentinel"

"Think the Council will call you so that you can help everyone regain the ability to meditate properly?"

"Not sure to be honest, but if they do call me back it will have to be after we take care of the refugees"

"We'll also be on guard duty unless otherwise told"

"Exactly" (thinks) " _especially because I won't be here for much longer, you may think you have plenty of time to get used to the idea that I might not be around for some time but in reality I know_ exactly  _when I'll be put into carbonite sleep and it's going to be within the next six months, the recent vision I had while meditating wouldn't have been shown to me otherwise and it was a vision not just an image of now. I know that you're going to be lonely Soketh for a long time but you'll still be alive when the time comes for the_ New Hope _to reveal that they're still alive, you're going to go through losing the original crew and even some new people that will join you over the years but you'll manage and when the time comes to reveal yourselves you'll be considered one of the leaders. I myself will be by your side though that's all I know, other than that I have no clue how long I will be asleep, but first I have one more thing to show you before I disappear from your life for a long, long time_ " (out loud) "now then let's get to work"

Fortunately Portland didn't have to do much to allow Soketh the ability to meditate properly again so she knew that the rest of the Jedi Order would quickly follow suite


	66. Chapter 66

"So time for the mission to help the refugees settle into their new temporary home"

"Temporary is not exactly the word to use Soketh, they might be here a lot longer than you think, the places we're taking the refugees will probably become permanent homes"

"Have you been getting visions that others haven't because of your abilities as a Force Trouble indicator again?"

"Most likely yes, but I will need to talk to the Jedi Council after this mission to confirm that I am, because there's some things I'm seeing that I need to speak with a Master about preferably someone on the Council. Soketh after this mission there's something I want to show you, it's a mix of Sentinel and Starfleet business but it's on the surface of Coruscant so I'll make a request about it after we get the refugees to their new homes, and Soketh you must not reveal what I'm going to show you unless you have no other choice"

"It sounds serious"

"That's because what I'm going to show you could be dangerous in the wrong hands, I'll explain things better once I show you what I want to show you but for now just understand that it's vital it remains secret because of the potential of abuse"

"I understand, so you'll make the request afterwords?"

"Yes, that ways we won't be assigned guard duties right when we get to Coruscant because I have to show you this ASAP but the refugees come first, come on we're going to be busy over the next few days the refugees start the move tomorrow"

Soketh starts to leave while Ashland gets ready for sleep when suddenly Ashland speaks up again

"Soketh, I want to do a joint meditation session with you, right now, we won't go very deep but there's something I want to confirm, something that the Council will be unable to help with, at least for the moment if I'm right"

Soketh and Ashland start the joint meditation session and Ashland confirms something she had felt when she helped Soketh regain his ability to properly meditate. With that confirmation she knew what she had to do in order to help Soketh reach his highest potential. Ashland had recently learned through the Force that some Jedi or Sentinel's were actually able to control three different elements. One was lightening which Sideous had used, one was fire which Ashland used and was currently the only user because the Force also unlocked the abilities when the time was right and while another  _could_ use fire they were both too young and not yet strong enough to be able to handle such an ability, the final element that a Jedi or Sentinel could use was water, life's blood and Soketh was one of the few who could use water and was deemed ready by the Force. The Force had given the Jedi the ability because of what was coming in the future, though the Jedi healers had no knowledge of that which was why they thought Ashland's ability to use fire was unique amongst the Jedi and also due to the experiments, that was only partly correct, the experiments helped Ashland develop that ability but that was only because the Force realized that the experiments would have killed her otherwise and her determination to live was like fire, thus the fire ability, while in contrast Soketh's upbringing was like flowing water calm and serene for the most part, but if something happened he could be destructive and powerful, like a raging river or tsunami. Ashland also knew that the Jedi who could use the three elements would be limited so that not only would the Jedi not scare the public but also because not everyone would be suited for an element and as such the Jedi would not be overly powerful and would remain diverse, which was why the Force had activated this ability in the first place

"Soketh, I want you to meet me before your shift tomorrow in holodeck two"

"Yes ma'am, but why?"

"You'll find out then, for now we both need sleep I have an early shift and while you have a later shift you've been through a lot this evening"

"You're right I am a bit tired"

"Then get some sleep"

The next day Ashland went about her day like normal though part of her duties were making sure that the refugees were settled in temporarily. She then went to the holodeck and found Soketh waiting for her doing basic Jedi exercises

"You're early"

"Yeah I was feeling restless for some reason so I decided to burn off some energy so that I could focus properly on what you want to do today"

"That's actually a good thing because trust me what we're about to do is going to be intense, first of all I want you to get into the standard starting position for a spar"

Soketh instantly gets into position and then is surprised when Ashland does the same

"Now then, I want you to mirror my moves  _slowly_  we're going to build up our speed as we get going but I want you to get used to the movements first"

Soketh is a bit confused but starts following Ashland who appeared to simply be going over basic hand to hand combat moves but then he realized that they were slightly different, almost like a mixture of Jedi lightsaber kata and Starfleet self defense moves. After they went through the moves the first time they continued doing so getting slowly faster until they were at their fastest speed possible

"Okay now we're going to spar since you've gotten used to the movements"

The spar was intense but what Soketh didn't realize was that Ashland was about to heat things up literally because she was about to use her fire abilities which was sudden when she suddenly punched and fire just came out of her fist. He instantly moved to dodge but he used a basic block first while he rolled and was shocked to see water appear and put out the fire

"Wha..."

"That's what I was waiting for Soketh, now we're really going to go at it, I want you to use your element as much as possible because from here on out I'm going to be using my fire abilities"

With that the fight was on and both used their elements to their fullest, Soketh learning about his abilities as the fight went on, they only stopped when Ashland's name was called over the comm system

"Yes Captain?"

"You've made Soketh late for his shift and even though I know you're in the holodeck most likely doing some special training because it's been locked you never simply forget the time and neither does he"

"Sorry Captain, we were doing some specialized training that I discovered was needed last night otherwise Soketh might have been a danger to himself"

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Um I'd rather the Council finds out first Captain because trust me Starfleet is  _not_  ready for this and quite frankly neither is the Council really but since it involves Soketh as a Sentinel they have to be the first to know"

"Understood, now then let Soketh get to his duties would you?"

"Yes sir"

Soketh nods in understanding when Ashland simply looks at him

"So after my shift?"

"Yes we'll continue after your shift, because trust me you have a lot more to learn about your abilities and I'm the only person who can help right now"

"I know"

"One more thing Soketh"

"What?"

"What I've given you is a basic form, kind of like with Sentinel Defense, you add to the form as you learn about your own unique abilities, fire abilities are different from water abilities and you may find that some of the moves that I use to fight whenever I use my fire abilities don't work effectively when you use your water abilities so be aware of that. But don't worry the Force will show you what to do as you grow into your powers like it showed me"

"Should I keep it a secret like you did?"

"No, I kept it a secret for a lot of reasons but after today you can use your abilities whenever you feel the time is right and they are needed"

"But the Council is to know first"

"Exactly, because I have a lot of information to tell them about the Order and as such the reason why I have to give them the report especially..."

Ashland's voice trails off for no apparent reason and Soketh waits a minute before deciding to speak up to remind her what he was supposed to be doing instead of in the holodeck

"Well I'm already late for duty so I have to go"

Soketh gets to his shift while Ashland goes to her quarters and gives a report to the Council who are surprised about this but since they themselves were having trouble meditating couldn't confirm what Ashland was telling them

"Look this might not help, but I want you to do basic meditation exercises, like you were taught in the early days of your training, and if you've ever been around Vulcans they too have their ways of meditating try that as well to help you, the Force should unlock itself again and you should be able to use the Force after some time but I don't know that for sure so if you still have trouble let me know when I get back so that I can help you guys out"

"Don't worry I think we can handle it ourselves after all we are Jedi Masters and from what I've heard Masters are getting better results then most other Jedi, so we should be able to handle the situation on our own"

"Okay, oh and one more thing, Jedi and Sentinel's will have lightening capabilities as well depending on the personality of the Jedi or Sentinel, but only the Force will unlock elemental abilities in a Jedi or Sentinel, when that happens I'm about to send you guys a recording of a basic kata that will get them started but the Force will show them what to do as they continue training because what might work for fire won't necessarily work for water or lightening"

"We understand, now get some sleep you look like you had a rough shift"

"Did I ever"

The next day though pirates decided to attack the ship  _knowing_  that it wouldn't be such a good idea because it was a Starfleet vessel yet they did it anyways and everyone was doing their parts as well

"Portland to Soketh"

"This is Soketh go ahead"

"Remember what I told you yesterday about revealing things at your own pace?"

"What about it?"

"Next time remind me that life likes to play by it's own rules, I haven't told the Captain yet but I'm releasing you from that restriction, go all out on these guys I will too, though not as much as you can"

"Wait you mean I can actually..."

"Yes I mean you can actually just...be mindful of the electronics"

"Will do and Portland we so have to team up at some point"

"Maybe after I take care of my section, where are you anyways?"

"Medical, one of the most critical areas to protect and trust me it hasn't been very easy"

"Right I'll be on my way...as soon as I deal with the group I'm on right now"

Comms are cut and those around the two people are a bit confused until suddenly Soketh puts both hands in front of him and declares an attack they weren't expecting


	67. Chapter 67

"Water hose!"

"Wait you can make water out of thin air?"

"Nope the Force, talk later fight now"

Meanwhile Ashland was also fighting with her Defender's Righteous fire though she was definitely more limited so that she didn't do irreparable damage to the ship

"Fire punch!"

Soon enough her group was taken care of and Ashland knew she could finally team up with Soketh which was quickly accomplished, she even added her own attack to his as soon as she joined up because he was making another attack right as she arrived

"Waterfall!"

"Fire stream!"

The two attacks combined and right on the spot they both thought of a name at the same time and the same name at that

"Steam barricade!"

"Nice job Soketh"

"Same to you Portland"

"Shall we make another attack together?"

"Sure what's it called this time"

"How about Steam geyser?"

"Um how will we make that work?"

"We use our powers at the same time and focus them on where the enemy is and on my signal we activate the attack"

"Works for me"

"Steam geyser!"

As soon as the attack was finished Ashland started breathing hard because there was a major downside to being a Sentinel, especially one with unique abilities

"Soketh...how are you...not exhausted?"

"Who said...anything about...not being exhausted...I'm just controlling...my breathing better"

"Stick to phasers?"

"Yep, stick to phasers"

Finally the pirates were all taken care of and the rest of the trip went smoothly, the Captain didn't even really scold Portland and Soketh about keeping Soketh's new abilities a secret, he understood that the Council had to know first and understand what was happening before he found out, and discovering that if not for the pirate attack they would have told him that day helped as well

"I just wish he hadn't been forced to reveal himself in this way, I told him to do it in his own time and then I had to go back on my word and force him to reveal himself today because of the pirates"

"Things happen Portland, you know that, you know all that really matters is that the ship and refugees are safe"

"Portland, I was going to reveal myself soon anyways, I've been feeling restless lately and it's  _not_  related to the pirates, something's coming, something I'm surprised you aren't sensing"

"Who said anything about not sensing it? I'm just doing a better job of putting it in the back of my mind, though it's causing me headaches because of my insistence to think of it as a minor disturbance"

"How long have you been doing that?"

"Probably since shortly after we arrived on Tanixi"

"Wait I only sensed it when we got back from Coruscant"

"Yeah, Force Trouble indicator remember? I sense things a little earlier than most Jedi"

"Okay, that makes sense, I was wondering could you teach me to put things in the back of my mind when I'm not in a more immediate and dangerous situation?"

"I can try, it's helpful that you're a Vulcan because you have the mental training already for the most part"

The Captain decides to remind them that he was present since it was his office they were discussing things in

"In the meantime could the two of you leave so that I can do my paperwork? I also want the two of you on the surface when we arrive at the refugees home planet because quite frankly I think you at the very least will be needed Portland since you know the planet the best"

"Yes sir"

The two leave and prepare for what they would have to do once on planet. Ashland even made secret orders for certain Starfleet officers and also Senate members because of what would have to be done if things went wrong during the relocation

"...and I am giving this order not as First Junior Sentinel Portland, but as Ambassador between the Republic and Federation and highest ranking Sentinel in Starfleet and the reason why I am specifically stating who I am when giving these orders is because if we fail things could go disastrously wrong and as such I want you to know just what position and state of mind I am in when giving these orders"

Ashland then goes to meditate which then turns into a mission when she was known as an Ensign on the  _Texas_  all those years ago, before she managed to make it home. She had only been serving for about three months and was on a simple away mission to handle a trade agreement when things went south

_Memory_

Ashland was currently not able to access the Force and was also separated from the rest of her crew but she quickly realized what the Lt. would need so she started moving into position but unfortunately wouldn't make it before the Lt. called her to get into said position

"Ensign Portland I need you to get behind the crates for cover and then I need you to cover me while I get into a more defensible location"

"Trying Lt. but these explosions are making it a bit difficult to do so"

The Lt. looks over to see that Portland was right, she was having a very hard time getting into position to provide cover fire

"Okay, just do your best, I'll cover for you while you get into position then seeing as how what we're currently doing isn't working"

"Works for me you cover me and I'll cover you let's do it"

Finally the situation was contained and she was commended on predicting what her commanding officer needed and doing her best to get there before being told to do so

_Present_

"That was one of the few times I ever allowed myself to be caught off guard, after that day I made sure to plan for every contingency known to the Federation and to me though that didn't always work as planned"

Ashland stops talking to herself and finishes the meditation period and then gets sleep knowing she was in for a long day after she woke up. The next day Soketh and Ashland were planetside making sure that the refugees would be safe and also to help them start a new life with a few other officers

"Soketh, keep an eye on the East while I keep an eye on the West"

"Understood Portland, what about the other officers?"

"They'll help with the building and some other security issues we'll be most effective with our use of the Force especially the elemental uses"

"How long will we stay here?"

"I don't know, and remember there's something I must show you once we get back to Coruscant"

"What's so important you must show me anyways?"

"I'm sorry but I  _can't_  tell you because I don't know exactly what you would think about what I have to show you" (thinks) " _especially because of the fact that what I'm going to show you will give you thought about the fact that showing you will mean I have an idea of when I will disappear or die. What I have to show you is important though because of the fact that what I am showing you is basically a safe house that is on several different planets including the one where the_ New Hope  _will disappear and where I will be put into a special carbonite sleep most likely_ "

The two Sentinel's kept a lookout for trouble the longest before they rotated out though all the Starfleet officers knew that if there was trouble that regular officers couldn't handle they would get right back to work because of the fact that they would sense trouble through the Force before it got too close. Over the next few days the group fell into a routine of being a guard for part of the day and then helping start the building process until finally they were recalled to the  _New Hope_  because of the fact that since the  _New Hope_  was one of the only large vessels in the fleet that had arrived they had the most officers to help protect everyone still on Coruscant because the Starfleet officers now had to guard both the Federation Representatives and the Federation civilians still on Coruscant either by their choice or because there weren't enough ships for the trip


	68. Chapter 68

"Soketh, Portland, you have the day off so that you can do whatever it is that's needed but I need you back by tonight so that I can give you your assignment's for tomorrow"

"Understood Captain"

So the two go down to the planet and then Ashland leads Soketh to the lower levels which he had never been to before

"Where are we headed Portland?"

"Sorry Soketh, but I can't tell you yet, though I can tell you we're almost there"

"Okay, but why do we have to be in the lower levels?"

"Easy, because no one would suspect something like what I'm going to show you in the lower levels"

Finally they get to an ordinary door but when Soketh tried to enter it he got a surprise, the door not only stayed closed but he felt a small shock, kind of like touching a force field

"And this is why you needed me with you because of the fact that the building, mainly the door has a bio-lock so that intruders can't gain access to what's inside, you can add bio-signatures once inside but a person who's allowed has to be there to allow someone without access in"

"Bio-lock? Why would you have a bio-lock?"

"Come inside and you'll find out"

As soon as they enter the building Soketh understood why there was a bio-lock on the door

"This is a resistance building"

"Exactly, there's food, water, weapons, anything you could need to fight back against an invasion. There are several places like this on multiple planets and there are very few people allowed into these buildings as far as I know. This is the master building which means as soon as your bio-signature is added to this building you have access to all the buildings like this in the galaxy, now come over here so that your bio-signature can be added"

As soon as that's done Soketh speaks up again

"You know when you're going to die don't you? That's why you've added my bio-signature"

"Exactly, not to mention the fact that you'll be with the crew when I die"

"Can I know exactly when it will happen?"

"I'm sorry Soketh but that's not possible, I will tell you though that when I'm gone you will have your own troubles and will have to make sure that the crew disappears and is thought dead. I can't tell you fully why though you already know most of the story already"

"Okay I understand"

"Good, now then we have a ship to get back to but first I want to take you to a diner so that we can have some good non synthesized food, plus I have to make sure my lightsaber is in the Senate building as do you I believe"

"Good point"

The next day Soketh and Portland were actually assigned to the Senate and things were calm for the most part when all of a sudden Ashland tensed up at seeing someone in white armor, armor that looked like it had back in the days of the Clone Wars and then during the Empire

"Sentinel Portland is something wrong?"

"Sorry, I forgot that the Clones would have been made and some would be here by now"

"You're remembering your history aren't you?"

"Yes I am"

"Don't worry this time what happened to the Jedi won't happen again, we've made sure of it"

"Okay, it's fine it's okay it just surprised me is all, how many are there?"

"Two hundred, more are being made but limited for now and we make sure there's nothing like order 66 this time so that no one is in danger"

"So, I think I'll be outside doing perimeter checks, Soketh stay inside and let the other officers know where I am, if I don't check in after half an hour consider me out of commission and take charge here, also alert the ship to find my communicator and beam me back to the ship because I will either be unconscious or dead"

"Understood Portland, guess that makes me the next highest ranking officer in the Republic"

"For the moment yes, but don't count on it lasting for very long because of procedures established back when I was reunited with the Republic after the  _Texas_  came here by complete accident"

"Just how many can there be?"

"Trust me considering the situation at the time a lot of procedures were created both in the Republic after I returned and in the Federation when I first arrived and then over the years a few more on both sides have been created as a new situation arises that requires a new procedure to be made"

"Okay, so you check in every half hour then?"

"No, half hour for the first time and then every hour on the hour afterwords, and that goes for the whole team, however there are certain dead zones in the Senate building which makes communication impossible via radio but there are vid phones in those areas use those to call someone if you're in a dead zone and then that person is to let the rest of the team know that you're safe"

That's when a clone spoke up

"Maybe we should also help and be put into teams of two at the very least"

"No, if you're joining then it will be teams of three, two clones for every officer including Soketh and I because while we're Jedi we might not be able to sense something or react fast enough. Plus that ways if one clone goes down there's still one left to back up the officer if needed. Those not teamed up with a Starfleet officer will stay near the Senators but not in the meeting room, you'll be posted outside every possible entrance/exit where there's only one way onto a platform"

"Sentinel Portland, we know our history with the Jedi, are you sure you trust us with you life?, because if you don't then we won't go with you"

"Yes I'm sure, I can already tell that things are different this time, don't ask me how but I can sense it through the Force"

"Okay if you're sure about this, however we don't expect the rest of the Jedi to cooperate so willingly so we'll keep away from the temple unless called for"

"Don't worry I think you can gain the trust of the Jedi soon enough, but for now your idea has merit"

All of a sudden Ashland got a vision of Jedi and clones fighting side by side against a hidden enemy and the clones were taking orders from the Jedi while the Jedi were giving the orders without hesitation and while she didn't see any other identifying factors just seeing those two things proved that she was correct in saying that the Jedi and clones would work together again with ease soon enough, though she wasn't sure what would allow the Jedi to trust the clones to that degree

"Portland are you okay?"

"I'm fine Soketh, just a Force vision"

"Anything I need to know?"

"No not at the moment, but if it becomes relevant I'm sure that the Force will reveal what it showed me to you but if it's not it won't happen you know that as well as I do" (thinks) " _though to be honest I think part of the reason why the Force showed me this was to give me hope before I disappear_ "

The two groups talk out a few more details and then went their separate ways. While Ashland was patrolling the outer perimeter though she suddenly went down with her hand holding her head, so she quickly got out the Force inhibitor bracelet and put it on only to pass out soon after

"This is Sharpshooter we have a Starfleet officer down, seems like they were in pain right before she passed out"

"This is Seven, we also have a Starfleet officer down he too was in pain before he passed out"

"Did he put on a bracelet right before he lost consciousness?"

"Yes, same to you?"

"Same to us, looks like they sensed something that caused them so much pain they passed out right after they relieved it"

"Better get them to safety then"

"Agreed, and make sure everyone else is extra vigilant until further notice"

Before they could do that though they heard a groan and saw Ashland get up and she then taps her commbadge

"Portland to Soketh did you just sense what I sensed?"

"Well that depends on what you sensed Portland, because if you sensed two planets being destroyed at once then yeah I sensed that as well"

"Two planets? I sensed three, fortunately the third one didn't have any life other than indigenous species and even then they weren't exactly what we called intelligent on it but the other two..."

"Yeah, the two that had people on it were what I sensed, Death Star?"

"Impossible, it's something else but what I have no clue"

"Get the Captain to check?"

"Nope, not until we find out more about what just happened"

"We don't even know which planets were just destroyed"

"I know that but do you really have any better ideas Soketh?"

"Guess not"

"I thought so, now then about the inhibitors I suggest standard procedure for something this massive"

"Agreed, I do  _not_  want to be feeling the after affects for a bit considering the headache I have"

"Okay, and make sure you get in contact with the temple to see if they sensed anything as well you never know with the Force"

"Right Portland, Soketh out"

The two cut communication and then Ashland realized that the two clones were still pretty confused

"There's going to be a lot of discussions happening soon, especially once we figure out just what Soketh and I sensed through the Force, now then we still have a perimeter sweep to finish and then we'll go inside, but I will be counting on you guys even more then before because I now no longer have access to the Force"

"Just how limited are you now?"

"Not as much as one would think seeing as how I am still a trained Starfleet officer but I won't be able to sense trouble nearly as soon as before if I even manage that"

"I think we clones missed something in training because we have no clue about how Starfleet works or how their officers are trained"

They see Ashland scowl and realize that she's not happy about hearing that

"Yeah that was missed alright, I'll be having a talk with your trainers on Kamino after this so that they understand that clones need to know and understand how Starfleet officers are trained seeing as how you'll be working by our side pretty closely, especially after we get more officers and refugees for the rest of the year not to mention Starfleet Academy, well the Republic branch anyways"

"Why would that be needed?"

"Because we're going to be preparing for six years at least, it's part of a plan the Admiralty made up back when I first joined"

"Um the Admiralty?"

(Sighs) "I have a lot to explain don't I? I think the first thing you should know is that I abbreviate things whenever possible when it comes to who I report to and the chain of command. For me when I say the Admiralty I mean the highest ranking Starfleet officers ultimately in charge of Starfleet, when I say the Council I am talking about the Jedi Council who can give me missions at a moments notice even when I was in the Federation and when I say the Senate I am talking about the Republic Senate. Now then about Starfleet there are several other ranks but you'll be hearing them often so you'll pick that up quickly. However a quick rundown from lowest rank to highest is Ensign, Lt. junior grade, Lt., Lt. Commander, Commander, Captain, and finally Admiral which has it's own ranking system after that, now then some time's when you hear someone being called a Lt. they are talking about a Lt. junior grade and sometimes when someone is called a Commander they are actually a Lt. Commander, the way you'll be able to tell if that happens is through the rank pips on their necks, though most people will say the full rank if it's a Lt. Commander, not so much if it's a Lt. junior grade"

"I understand, at least the ranking system is easy enough to understand"

"Not quite, Soketh and I go by a different ranking system that's equivalent to the normal ranking system"

"Oh boy, we're going to be confused a lot aren't we?"

"No not really because often times you'll just hear another officer call us Sentinel, it's only when ranks are important that you'll hear our full rank"

"How about we wait until another time, after all we have other things to worry about then the ranking system that Starfleet uses"

"True, now then every Starfleet officer is trained to be observant, able to defend ourselves even when blind, and we can use multiple weapons if our primary weapon is unavailable"

"All good things to know"

They continue the outer perimeter check and once that was done they patrolled inside the Senate building and for that day at least things remained calm and Ashland even managed to find out just what she and Soketh sensed. One of the two planets had been experimenting with energy that involved their planet's core unfortunately all they managed to do was destabilize the core and blow their planet up, the other two planets were too close not to be destroyed as well


	69. Chapter 69

"Well at least that explains what Soketh and I felt"

"Portland I have an assignment for you but I don't know how you'll take it"

"What do you mean Captain?"

"I need to send you to Hoth to check up on the old Rebel base"

As soon as the Captain mentioned Hoth he knew that Portland wasn't happy about it

"You don't like what I just said do you? I can explain though if you'll let me"

"Okay, why are you sending me there?"

"We've been receiving some weird signals from there and I need someone who truly knows their Republic history to check it out"

(Sighs) "I understand, and you're right I don't like it"

"Portland, if you want some other officers with you I can spare a few for this mission"

"That's actually a good idea Captain, just one thing make sure they have cold weather gear because Hoth is a frozen planet"

"Understood"

Ashland leaves the office and heads to her room to do a check on a potential away team when she noticed a Lt. who was in a very foul mood so she switched gears immediately because she could sense what was going to happen if she didn't intervene

"Okay, Lt. follow me"

"Yes Sentinel Portland"

They head to the holodeck which confuses the Lt. and what makes the confusion worse is that Portland put on the Force inhibitor which all Starfleet officers are trained to recognize

"Okay Lt. try and hit me"

The two go at it and while the Lt. does his best to hit Ashland through his anger Ashland simply dodged all his attempts knowing he needed to vent. Once she was sure he wasn't blindly hitting in anger she gave him a real fight. Finally both were out of breath and simply standing there trying to catch it again

"You...want to...explain your...anger Lt.?"

"You don't...want to...know Sentinel...otherwise you...might be...worse than me"

"Fine, but be glad I found you before you got into trouble"

"I am, I didn't even realize just how bad it was building up until we just sparred"

"I figured that out when you went at me in blind anger, it's part of the reason why I fought you with my Force inhibitor on me"

"Well I have a shift I should go to"

"And I have a few things to take care of myself"

Ashland goes to her quarters and sees who would be best suited to handle the Hoth mission when suddenly the ship went to red alert and Ashland didn't know why even with the Force inhibitor off after the spar, but Ashland didn't report to the bridge like she was supposed to in emergency situations because while the Force didn't tell her why they were at red alert it  _did_  inform her that she was needed in the shuttle bay. As soon as she arrived she could see why, there was pure chaos not to mention the fact that she also saw trouble through the force field

"Okay, let's get those people under medical care first and then...I'm gonna be taking a shuttle"

"But Sentinel..."

"No buts Ensign, those are orders"

"Yes ma'am, what about the Captain?"

"Tell him I've taken the shuttle to deal with the intruders at a much closer level, and get Lt. Commander Decker down here I'm going to need his help in the shuttle"

"Understood, though I don't like it"

"I didn't ask if you liked it Ensign I'm telling you what's happening"

Five minutes later Portland and Decker were doing damage to the attacking ship which Ashland recognized from history as part of the Empire, when she thought back to that history she remembered a message from the Senate recently and realized just what was going on

"Great, we might have a civil war going on again soon, if having to deal with the problems of the Federation weren't enough we're going to have to deal with Separatists now which I am  _not_ happy about, especially because they haven't been declared yet"

"What do you mean Sentinel Portland?"

"Later Decker, right now we have to disable this ship before...reinforcements arrive"

Ashland said the last part dejectedly for a reason, while Ashland was speaking a few more ships arrived and Ashland knew exactly what was going on with the ships that just arrived

"Sentinel Portland to Coruscant I need a clone division trained in aerial combat ASAP"

"We've already dispatched a team they should be at your coordinates in two minutes"

"Copy that"

Before the clones arrived though the shuttle was hit again and they lost their gravity

"We no longer have gravity here"

"I know, for now you just stay put I'll deal with the attackers myself, at least until I get some backup here"

The Lt. was surprised that Ashland could move freely without gravity and succeeded in managing until the clones arrived and turned the enemy back

"Thanks guys...could you possibly give us a tow back to the ship?, we've lost propulsion as well as gravity in the shuttle, we're lucky nothing vital was lost"

"No problem"

"Thanks"

The Captain wasn't too happy about the damage done to the shuttle but he had understood why Portland had done what she had, but it meant the mission to Hoth was now delayed because unfortunately the ship only had one shuttle at the moment due to what they called an incident during the Tanixi episode

"Sorry Captain, but to be honest there was really no other option"

(Sighs) "I know that Portland, but the mission you need to take is critical"

"Actually I have an idea about that, I was actually thinking about taking some clones with me to Hoth as well and since as far as I know every officer is required to know how to pilot an x-wing..."

"You know you have a point Portland"

Those in the meeting all shuddered at the reminder that everyone was required to know how to pilot an x-wing due to an incident that had happened during one of the periods that Ashland had been thought dead. Everyone kept those qualifications up mainly through holodeck training but every so often they got to practice with the real thing too so that they knew the differences between the holodeck and the real thing though the holodeck was as close to the real thing as most could get for their entire lives. The Clones however were a bit confused and said so

"Excuse me, we're just starting to learn about the Federation and more specifically Starfleet, but why would Starfleet officers be required to know how to pilot x-wings?"

The Captain would be the one to answer with a sigh

"It's due to an incident that happened the last time Portland was thought dead. We were having trouble with Jedi turned Sith mostly because of an artifact and things weren't going too well at one point. One day an x-wing pilot crashed back into one of the ships the Republic managed to send and the pilot was injured, too injured to continue the fight and the x-wing wasn't in much better shape. A Starfleet Ensign decided that she wanted to join in on the fight because she was tired of being stuck on the ship in a representative capacity so she essentially stole an x-wing and joined in the space battle. Unfortunately for her x-wings are drastically different from a shuttle craft so she initially did more damage than she did help until she got more control over the craft. After the battle she was reprimanded but that's also when it was realized that knowing how to pilot an x-wing was actually a good thing because you never know if in the Republic it might be required. So after that day learning to pilot the x-wing was made mandatory for all ranks and we keep up our qualifications mainly in the holodeck but occasionally we get to fly an actual x-wing"

"Yeah, when I read that report I was initially angry at the Ensign but then I saw it from her point of view and I also saw that it made you guys learn how to pilot a craft that I was familiar with and I figured that overall she did good, even if she almost got herself killed in the process"

"Well for now we are going to have to borrow some x-wings so that you guys can go to Hoth"

"Understood sir, now then you told me we have to go to Hoth and why but just what's weird about the signals you're receiving?"

"The fact that signals are even being received would be constituted as weird in my book"

"Nope there's a small base being run still just in case"

"Okay I get that but have you ever received signals like this before?"

The Captain shows Portland the signals and Ashland realizes that yeah there was a potential problem

"Okay you win Captain"

"Do you have your team?"

"Not yet sir I haven't really had a chance to choose due to multiple distractions"

"Okay, well you know that some are not allowed to leave the ship period the end of it, though I think I can spare a medic just in case"

"Don't worry sir I'm a combat field medic, I regained my qualifications during the Tanixi mission remember? I think some of the clones are also combat medics too if I recall correctly"

"You do Sentinel Portland"

"Okay, if you need transport for multiple people let me know and we'll head to Hoth, or let the Senate know so that they can send a ship"

"Sir does the Senate know about Hoth?"

"I told them about the signals and they said they were normal and to not bother with them, even when I told them that it was from the old rebel base"

"That's actually odd because the actual base is quite close to the old rebel base but not exactly the same location...though there are a few tunnels that will lead to the old base in the new base"

"Well either way I think it needs checked out and if the Senate isn't going to do so..."

"Understood Captain, oh I will actually need Soketh now that I think about it"

"Why?"

"He's the only other Sentinel that I know of that's in Republic space at the moment and while he's a Federation born Sentinel there are some areas of both bases meant for Jedi only. I don't know how Master Skywalker did it but he managed to rig those areas to react to the Force only so it will actually go faster if we split up to check those areas"

"I understand Portland and actually agree with your thinking, look at the rest of the crew to see if there's anyone else you feel you should take and I'll let them know they are to serve under you for the moment"

"Yes sir"

Two hours later Ashland had picked her team and they were on their way to Hoth

"Sentinel Portland could you possibly explain why exactly we're going to a frozen planet?"

"The  _New Hope_  has been receiving odd signals from the old rebel base, the Senate says it's nothing but the Captain wants us to check things out just in case"

"Understood, though I question his decision to let both Sentinel's off the ship at the same time for the moment"

"That was actually my decision Ensign, things will go faster with the two of us there is that understood?"

"Yes Sentinel Portland it's understood"

Soketh didn't ask any questions because shortly before the team left Ashland came to him in private and explained the situation to him about the Force sensitive doors on the bases

"How long will it take us to get to Hoth?"

"About two hours, don't worry the x-wings were modified to last long enough to get to the Republic when it still took six and a half months"

"So we're good in regards to engine power?"

"Exactly, now then, we're mainly going to Hoth to check out those signals but don't hesitate to inform anyone if you see anything else off, and make sure your med kits are ready at a moments notice, however only Soketh and I will use any Federation drugs in the kits"

That got several protests from the Starfleet officers while the clones remained quiet

"The clones are smart knowing they have no knowledge of Federation drugs and as such could do more harm then good, the rest of you may have a basic idea but you won't really know about the alien physiology and will also do more harm then good. I on the other hand have lived with these races most of my life and as for Soketh the Force will help him if need be"

"Oh and you trust us with Republic drugs more?"

"More like you guys don't have anything that will harm someone if you do something wrong. I deliberately made sure that basic med kits have maybe bacta, bandages that have or don't have bacta infused in them, and common mild pain killers for the Republic, on the other hand the Federation drugs are also simple and common for the Federation but not many people in the Republic have been exposed to Federation drugs which means it could be dangerous for them, though epinephrine is still epinephrine for either the Federation or the Republic so if that's needed you can use it"

When Ashland explained things that ways the protests stopped because the officers realized that Ashland was right and was only doing what she had to to protect the people living at the base should any of them need medical attention

"What if anyone needs more attention then what we have with our kits?"

"There should be a medical facility at the base and a med droid to help"

"Good to know"

They soon reach Hoth and land as close to the old base as possible but since it wasn't as close as Ashland wanted it was still a good thing there was cold weather gear on them so that they could survive the environment of Hoth

"Whoa when I was told Hoth was a harsh cold environment I wasn't expecting this"

"Yeah, Hoth is one of the colder planets in the Republic plus there isn't much life here since it can't really be maintained"

"Then why was there a rebel base here during the time of the Empire? I also wonder why the Republic is maintaining a base here now"

"It's because of the harsh environment of Hoth that it made a good location for a rebel base, even though it was eventually discovered by the Empire most people wouldn't think about setting up a base here because of how cold it is on this planet, it's impossible to survive outside of the base at night especially when a storm is brewing and daytime is only slightly better and again that's if there's no storm. It's also why it's such a good location now, because people who aren't used to the Republic wouldn't think about using Hoth as a base and as such we can launch surprise attacks from this planet with the enemy being none the wiser, so long as no one is tailed back anyways"

"How many people are here anyways?"

"At the moment only a skeleton crew of about twelve, during full blown operations there can be as many as two hundred living and working here"

"So this is basically one of the smaller bases"

"Only by force, the Republic wants to expand it's space to hold up to two thousand but that's proving to be a bit difficult at the moment, now then even though it'll be warmer inside you'll still need to wear your cold weather gear except for what covers your faces, and don't worry Hoth knows about the clones so they won't attack you on sight"

"What about an access code to gain access from the outside?"

"It's easy, though I'm the only one who knows it because of the fact that I'm team lead"

"Understood"

As soon as Ashland opens the door however she could instantly sense that something was wrong and she quickly brought out her phaser

"Soketh..."

"Yeah, I feel it too"

"Everyone keep your weapons at the ready, something's been here and it wasn't friendly, in fact it still might be here considering what Soketh and I are feeling"

"Any restrictions?"

"Capture alive if possible for questioning, if not possible...make  _sure_  it's dead because believe me there's dead and then there's  _dead_  in my books"

"Experienced something like that before"

"Exactly"

"How should we split up?"

"Teams of two one clone, one officer at least"

"Understood"

The groups split up and start searching for the team that was supposed to man the base. About half an hour after they split up an explosion sounded


	70. Chapter 70

"Okay if someone pulled a stupid move they're going to regret it. Portland to Soketh do you know what happened?"

"A little busy Portland"

Ashland heard the sound of battle through the commbadge and Ashland realized there was trouble that she couldn't do anything about because she was separated from the trouble

"Oddball try and find another path to that battle and make sure to save your shots until otherwise needed because I have a feeling it's going to be needed"

Fifteen minutes later Ashland was in the thick of fighting still separated from Soketh and a few others because of the fact that the enemy was doing their best to eradicate everyone they could. After an hour the battles all over the base were finished and Ashland finally figured out what had happened to the team manning the Hoth base

"So that's what happened"

"Yes, they were dead before we arrived, looks like they were noticing strange signals and were trying to identify what they were, they were starting to send out a signal stating that there was trouble but they couldn't finish the code"

"Thus the reason why the signal was so off even to the Captain"

"Exactly, we've found all the bodies and everyone is accounted for"

"Very well, let's get back to the  _New Hope_  and then report to the Senate"

"Why the  _New Hope_  first?"

"Easy because the Captain was the first person to question what was going on so he deserves to find out what we discovered first"

"You're right he does deserve that honor unlike the Senate"

"Easy officer, I'm not exactly happy with the Senate at the moment either but I know better than you the multiple reasons why they wouldn't listen to the Captain and told him what they did"

"But..."

"Officer I would suggest you cool it immediately I am your superior in this situation and you are still new to the Republic so you have little idea of what the Senate deals with on a regular basis"

"Oh like you're any better?, you haven't been home in several years"

"Except I understand Republic politics better because I lived here for a long time before moving to the Federation, plus I know a bit more about a situation then you do now then, get all the information you can from the computers and then...then let's destroy this place so that should the enemy come back they can't use this place against us"

"Will the Republic be able to rebuild this place quickly?"

"No, once we use the explosives I'm thinking of using there will be a cave-in which means it would be extremely difficult for the Republic to rebuild afterwords"

"But isn't Hoth an important base Sentinel?"

"Yes it is, but I think they would rather have it destroyed then used by the enemy"

"Understood Portland"

"Soketh, one more thing, the items in the Jedi only sections are to be destroyed as well"

"But wouldn't they be more useful against the trouble that's headed our way?"

"Normally I would say yes but this time...this time they might just work against us instead"

"Why?"

Ashland doesn't answer verbally though instead she used the Force to project images to Soketh's mind involving a similar event in the Federation and what had happened when they took the weapons with them instead of destroying them

"I understand, don't worry I'll make sure they're destroyed, but can I at least save basic medical supplies?"

"Sorry but since we have no clue if the enemy did something to it..."

"Understood"

Ten minutes later everyone was outside awaiting Ashland's order, however she first did something that would surprise everyone but Soketh because he understood her frame of mind. They didn't know it at the time but when Soketh showed Ashland what she had missed during her time in captivity Soketh was shown a deeper history of the Republic then what he had been told after he had taken the training to become a Sentinel. Ashland used her fire abilities to melt enough snow to protect the bodies of the fallen base members and Soketh used his water abilities to freeze the melted snow fast enough so that you could see the bodies, after that the two of them used the Force to remove the bodies from the base and only then did Ashland give the signal to a clone to blow the base up

"We'll have to leave their bodies here temporarily, but we'll make sure that they aren't found by anyone but us and we'll come back for them so that they can have a proper burial"

"Let's go home then"

"Agreed let's go home"

Two hours later they were back at Coruscant and since the Captain had been in a meeting with the Senate about a few things he was on the planet's surface which meant that Ashland simply met her Captain at the Senate building and gave her report there

"When are we going to inform the Senate that they were wrong?"

(Sighs) "I'm honestly not sure Captain, technically we should inform them tomorrow but that's not going to be possible"

"Why not?"

"They won't be meeting for the next four days, think of it as a weekend holiday slightly extended, you see it was discovered that in times of extreme stress like war that everyone gets fatigued mentally and emotionally from talking about nothing but battles and what is needed to be done. If something major happens that affects the Republic immediately an emergency session will be called but all that will be done at that session is discussions of how to handle the immediate crises so we would still have to wait at least a day before giving our report"

"Understood Portland, what about the bodies of the people manning the base?"

"Don't worry Soketh and I made sure that they couldn't be found and desecrated by either the enemy or the native wildlife"

"Good"

"Now then there are a few things I need to discuss with you and then I think I'm going to go to the Temple and see if anyone will spar with me, I need a better opponent then just holograms"

"It will also give them a chance to get used to phasers because even though we have to deal with Separatists at the moment we can never forget the six year time line we're on"

"True, but I actually think I'm going to handle that as two separate things because the enemy won't have access to a lightsaber"

"Good point"

"Sentinel Portland there's one thing I want to discuss with you before you leave for the Temple as well"

"What would that be?"

"Why you reacted the way you did when I mentioned clone battle plan Delta 339"

"Because I always hated that plan, it's why you're forbidden from using it in my presence"

"But why do you hate it?"

(Sighs) "I don't think I can explain it to you without showing you something, a video file not from the Clone Wars which ultimately killed off the Jedi when the Republic turned to an Empire but another file, a file that is hidden so deep not many people even know about forget about getting access to it"

"Wait Portland are you saying that clone battle plan Delta 339 is a variation of  _that_  plan?"

"If by  _that_  plan you're thinking about the Baristal situation then yes I am"

"No wonder you don't like the plan then"

"Thought you would understand"

"Why do I get the feeling we're missing something here?"

"Because you are, and while the clones that are coming after you will have a history of the Federation inserted into their training from the beginning, even they won't know precise information about a lot of missions even if it's pertinent to the mission they are currently on, at the most they will have basic information in their heads so that they can hopefully survive"

"Why only basic information? I also wonder about hearing about the missions at all if they won't be allowed specifics of certain missions"

"It's...complicated Wrecker and delves into politics you guys simply wouldn't understand to save your life"

"Oh and you do?"

"Well I have a better understanding then most people in this room, I have to have the level of understanding that I do I wouldn't have survived my first two years without getting to the level I'm currently at if I hadn't learned. I also understand Republic politics better than you guys because again I have to know otherwise I would be useless to both the Republic and Federation, especially now because I have to make both sides understand very subtle differences between a few laws in both galaxies that are  _way_  too similar to each other for my tastes"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Let's just say that it's a good thing I was with the Admiralty when I made most of my goofs"

"They get you out of trouble those times?"

"Not fully no, but they were able to explain things to me in a way I would understand after any punishment I was given, they were also able to explain things to those I insulted in some way in a way they too would understand, especially in the early days because of a conference that happened shortly after I arrived. If you've read my history you might recall hearing about a mental breakdown that made everyone take a three month break, well during that enforced break there was a conference that all the Admiralty had to be part of so I went with them hoping I would get a better understanding of my new home. By the end of it both I and the Admiralty had apologized to 2/3 of the ambassadors and their aids while the other 1/3 had either managed to tell somehow just how new I was or simply ignored it to the point that they didn't even mention they were insulted after they got back to their homes"

"Thus your very rough introduction to Federation politics"

"Exactly though I have to say my intro to Republic politics was even rougher"

"How could it have been rougher than the Federation?"

"I got three words for you brink of war"

"Okay that doesn't actually explain things"

"Okay in the Federation the conference was a simple conference that allowed people to update trade agreements or peace treaties and the like with each other and the king, there was also science and medical information passed out this time too if I recall correctly, so basically an easy conference didn't even need to use my phaser. In the Republic however my Master and I had to listen to the Senators after we got back to Coruscant after she rescued me and three different planets were only weeks away from full scaled war if not for the intervention of the Senate"

"Okay the Republic story wins, now then you said something about a video?"

"Yes and then I really do have a few things to discuss with you Captain before I get in some sparring with fellow Jedi that may or may not have sparred with me before depending on who's there, heck I may decide to spar a few of the new Council members just to judge how things currently are"

"New Council members?"

(Sighs) "Captain think about it and you'll understand why I know about it when you don't"

"Of course I forgot that stipulation after you were reunited with the Republic"

"Stipulation?"

"Yeah, there's a lot that people don't know when it comes to what happened after the  _Texas_  accidentally wound up in Republic space, everyone has access to the basic history because that's what started the alliance between the Republic and Federation but there's a lot that went on behind the scenes that no one else knows because it's either too dangerous or in regards to what I know about the Council is only pertinent to me as a Sentinel who started their training in the Republic, all Republic born Sentinel's are actually required to know of any changes in the Council immediately"

"Why not the Federation born Sentinel's? I thought that they reported to the Council just like the Republic born Sentinel's"

Soketh is the one to speak up

"While it is important I know of any changes within the Council as soon as possible we Federation born Sentinel's don't have quite as deep a connection to the Republic and as such they can wait to inform us for about a week before we absolutely have to know about any changes in the Council. It takes about that long to personally inform each Republic born Sentinel anyways"

"But isn't that playing favoritism?"

"Actually it isn't Captain, because sometimes there might be things going on that the Council reports at the same time as a Council member change that is only pertinent to those that grew up in the Republic because we understand the geography if not exactly the politics better than those Federation born"

"And while a Federation born Sentinel should know the going on's of the Republic as well because we never grew up in the Republic it takes a little longer to explain certain things to us and the Council needs time to figure out appropriate analogies and what not so that those born in the Federation have the same understanding of the situation as those in the Republic"

"Oh that makes sense then"

"Now then like I said I have a few things to discuss with you, I have a video to show the clones and then I  _really_  need that spar"

"No kidding, for some reason I can feel your emotions Portland and they're close to exploding"

Ashland turns to Soketh in surprise and speaks up

"How can you?..." (groans) "never mind I think I know what happened"

"What are you two talking about?"

Both of them answer their Captain at the same time with the same words too

"Now now Captain"

Ashland then made sure to show the clones the video she was talking about and they truly understood why she hated the suicide plan after that. Once that was done she talked to the Captain about a few issues that had popped up in regards to the Hoth mission, issues she realized needed to be resolved before they took on any more missions

"If they don't get that training then who knows what could happen in the future Captain, especially if Federation drugs are all that's available"

"I understand and will see what can be done about it, now then if you still feel like you need a spar in the Temple I would suggest you do so"

"Thanks, I might actually stay for a few days depending on both the Force and what I feel they need some training on, but never forget that I know my duties to Starfleet are primary so if you need to call me back call me back"

"Don't worry I will, though if we're requested for a mission depending on what it is we might pass that information on to the Council and let them choose Jedi to accompany us and they'll be the ones to inform you then"

"Okay"

"And Portland, I have a feeling that there are things you need to work out by being in the Temple but don't forget that we have councilors available if you need them"

"You've noticed?"

"Yes I have"

(Sighs) "I would take up your advice Captain but unfortunately even though we have trained councilors who know how to help Sentinel's this is a bit more complicated than what our councilor can handle, one of the reasons why I need that spar and time at the Temple is to see if I need to talk to the Council about what's been going on lately"

"Your reason for lack of sleep, even if it doesn't exactly show which means you've been doing the forbidden meditation technique again haven't you?"

"I haven't Captain, but I have other tricks in my book to make sure that I have enough sleep and if I haven't for some reason still look well rested"

"Fine, but if I find out you've lied to me about the forbidden meditation technique..."

"Oh I already know that I would be in big trouble"

"Exactly, now get going"

So Ashland soon arrived at the Temple and she got in her spar with a Master who wasn't part of the Council but one she had never fought before. The next day she started fighting with other fellow Jedi getting in some training time, both her teaching them a few things and them teaching her a few things, and after she fought three different Council members who could sense she was struggling with something she realized that she didn't need to talk to the Council after all, just being in the presence of the Masters helped her resolve some emotions she hadn't been able to resolve about the Hoth mission. Over the next week Ashland trained with the lightsaber and then she decided it was time to teach some of the younger Padawans who were only in their first or second year as a Padawan the basics of the phaser while older Padawans and Knights were going to get a more intense experience. With the Knights and older Padawans

"Okay, the enemy will have this set to kill but I never will, however this will be set to the highest level of stun and it might knock you out cold, this is to teach you how to avoid the weapon if at all possible but you know as well as I do that it might not be"

"What about Starfleet?"

"There are still ships arriving as we speak, in fact I actually sense a new ship entering Republic space now but don't forget several are either staying behind willingly or by force so that a resistance can start up, and we also have to deal with the Separatist issue at the moment because that's a more immediately concern"

"Understood Portland"

So Ashland spends time teaching them everything she could about avoiding phaser fire and also how to deflect it if they absolutely couldn't avoid it, though she knew that there would still be losses. Then one day she was called to a meeting with the Council and as soon as she was inside the room she understood why she was needed


	71. Chapter 71

"Captain, I assume there's a mission that a Jedi might be needed on and I'm the one chosen"

"Not exactly, the Senate has discovered another planet that might be of use either for an Academy of Starfleet and the Federation to start here since we don't know how long the war will last after we get started and it's best to continue training if at all possible in the meantime, or it could be used as another home for our refugees they want us to check it out along with a Council member, something about a sight that looked like an academy for the Jedi or something like that and since the Council are the ones who know the most about Jedi history..."

"We will discuss this issue then Captain, however I have a question, are you guys going to be part of the celebration tonight?"

"Yes we are"

"Celebration?"

"Surely you haven't forgotten what day it is Portland"

"No it's...the day I came home and initiated the alliance between the Republic and Federation"

"Well we didn't quite sign anything for another three days but we're celebrating all three days and today's the opening ceremony, it's been almost a decade since that day and we want to celebrate it, before we don't have a chance"

"I would love to be part of the celebration if I can Captain"

"Of course Portland, you're considered a guest of honor considering what this celebration is about"

"Well I need to do some meditation before the celebrations tonight and I also need to prepare a few things for a potential situation that the Council is aware of Captain, then after a certain time period I should be able to join you back on the ship"

"Understood, Soketh is also going to be joining in and we have a new arrival that might enjoy it as well so we'll talk to them and see what they think about it"

"New arrival?"

"You didn't sense them?"

"No the last arrival I sensed was a few days ago"

"That's odd because a new ship just arrived this afternoon during a Senate meeting"

"Oh that's why then"

"What do you mean Portland?"

"I was at the Senate meeting this afternoon and was also wearing my Force inhibitor for a few hours and I've discovered that if I don't detect them as soon as they enter Republic space there's a good chance that after I take the inhibitor off I won't know about new arrivals until told about them"

"Why did you put the inhibitor on?"

"High emotions at the meeting today Captain, though I honestly don't know why they were so high I could sense them in the Force and realized I might start projecting if I didn't have the inhibitor on"

"Ah a small issue in regards to your Force Trouble indicator abilities?"

"That's the closest analogy the Healers could come up with yes"

"Okay, see you this evening then"

"Agreed"

Ashland then left for the Room of a Thousand Fountains and went into a deep meditation she hadn't had since her mental breakdown in her first year at the Academy, she hadn't even gone that deep after she discovered she was a Force Trouble indicator which meant that the Force itself wanted her to be immersed in a way she hadn't allowed in a long, long time. The Force showed her what it took for the trust between Jedi and Clones to form and it was an incident that would force the two groups to work together and have to simply ignore past history to make it through, but that one incident would also be what showed the Jedi that things were truly different that time. Ashland also saw more of what Soketh would have to go through over the years, including the fact that what she thought was the same planet she would have to be put into the unique bacta/carbonite sleep was actually a different planet, she also sensed that there was a period of time between the two incidents though she wasn't quite sure how long, though she knew it was still soon after her freezing sleep from what she could sense through the Force. After that she woke up to find it close to time for the celebrations to begin

"Oh Soketh, you're going to go through so much but you'll be the stronger for it I'm sure of it, though why that planet has a base is beyond me unless...that would make sense even if we can't send out signals from that planet we would make sure there was a place of refuge if something happened to a landing craft"

Ashland then made sure she was dressed properly for such celebrations, and oh how they started the celebrations that night. Ashland danced to music using traditional Republic dances and showing people a few of the dances she'd learned in the Federation that were appropriate for the music and mood that was being set. Ashland gave a brief history of what started the alliance between the two galaxies and how both had benefited since. No one but Ashland knew that night would be the last time anyone saw her in public for a long, long time, after that night the only people who would see her would be her crew and even they would lose her soon enough, though at one point during the celebrations Ashland and Soketh locked eyes and Ashland knew that Soketh sensed something in the Force even if he couldn't precisely make out what it was. Ashland could also sense that the Force was doing it's best to protect the Jedi and would also do so when she was in carbonite because losing her would be a major blow and she knew it. The next day the  _New Hope_  took off for what they thought would be a simple mission, not knowing the truth that Ashland knew, and what Soketh felt

"So how long until we reach the planet?"

"At our current speed it should take about two days to get there"

"Good to know, Portland any thoughts on the away team?"

Ashland was sitting next to the Captain's chair with her eyes closed trying to get a feeling of who should be part of the mission because she knew that she couldn't do this alone it would be too suspicious, and then the Force gave her the answer she needed at the moment even though it was really only a feeling that she should trust her instincts in this instance

"Besides me I think you're the one who should choose the away team Captain, I'm needed on that planet for reasons I can't explain but because I'm too close to the situation this time I can't choose without my emotions coming into play and that would be dangerous"

"What do you mean Portland?"

"The Force is telling me something quite clearly but I don't have the words to explain it, it's part of what's kept me up lately as you already have seen Captain"

"Very well, but you do realize that this means you can't turn anyone away"

"I know and understand Captain, and I'm sure that you'll choose the best crew you can think of to assist me on this mission"

Two days later they finally arrived at the planet and Ashland was actually pleased with the people she was to be assigned the mission with

"Now then does everyone understand their orders?"

"Yes sir, we're to make sure the main area we're looking at to make an Academy is suitable for the task, the rest of the information can be gathered through scans and what not but an on site review is important if we want to be sure that things will be stable should we use this planet"

"Okay, and make sure you guys don't go outside the designated area, even if you think you noticed something, we may have comms but if something happens it's better for you guys to be in a central location. As always the exception to that is Sentinel Portland but that's the way it's been since the  _Texas_  arrived all those years ago"

"Captain, make sure to keep a close eye on the away team just in case and...I want to have open comms after fifteen minutes if we don't initiate communication ourselves"

"What for?"

"Just trust me on this Captain...please"

"Very well I trust you"

The group started doing multiple observations and tests as soon as they were on the ground when suddenly they were surrounded by droids that Ashland recognized

"Portland to  _New Hope_  open comms are needed now, there's Trade Federation droids here which means Separatists might be close by keep an eye out for trouble, in the meantime I'm going to deal with them in the only way I can and Captain tell Soketh I'm sorry"

"What do you mean Portland?"

"Sentinel's final defense!"

Those on the ground suddenly saw Ashland surrounded by flames and she was faster then anyone had seen her move and she was decimating the legions of droids not only with the flames which were super hot from what she could tell but also her lightsaber, the few she didn't manage to destroy the team did but those were few and far between. Ten minutes later the battle was over and the flames dissipated from Ashland body, and that's when they realized that Ashland had basically sacrificed herself, because while she didn't have third degree burns most of her body was covered in second degree burns and they also realized she used a lot of her life force through the Force to be able to do what she had done

"Portland...to  _New Hope_...emergency beam up...to medical...alert Soketh...bacta/carbonite tank...not much time"

Ashland is quickly beamed to sickbay and everyone realized that Ashland had been correct in saying that the bacta/carbonite tank was needed. Soketh arrived right as she was put into the tank and Soketh touched the tank and received a message from Ashland before she was encased in carbonite

"Captain, we have to declare her dead"

"But Soketh..."

"No Captain, we don't know how long it will take for Ashland to heal from this, especially as she was encased in carbonite, we don't know how that affects bacta healing, plus it will keep her safe from all enemies"

"Very well, what about the Federation and Republic?"

"Well as for the Federation they're basically dissolved though I might be wrong and as for the Republic Ashland has that covered"

"Very well I will make the necessary records then"

Two hours later Ashland was declared dead and that's when the Council received Ashland's pre-recorded message, and they could also tell that a few things had been added over time including shortly before Ashland arrived on the planet's surface

"...only Soketh will know where I am, don't worry if I have the strength I will pass on that message to him through the Force. Don't tell anyone that I'm alive mainly because you'll have your own issues to worry about by the time this message is sent if I am seeing the visions correctly, goodbye and good luck to us all for those from the Federation, for the Council may the Force be with you"

The Council knew they had to trust in Soketh and the Force because Portland was right, things were starting to get more and more tense in the Senate and they were close to another Clone Wars, when suddenly the temple was under attack and even though the Jedi weren't too keen on it they had to call on the Clones to help. Throughout the next three days the Jedi learned to trust the clones while the clones learned to trust the Jedi and they all managed to get past what had happened when the Republic became the Empire because the Jedi trusted the clones implicitly and the clones trusted the Jedi just as much. Meanwhile Soketh had been looking for a good place to keep Ashland hidden while the fighting went on in the Republic and the  _New Hope_  was taken down on the planet that Ashland had seen in her vision. What Ashland didn't know was that they would indeed have to fake their deaths through an explosion that was witnessed by, both a Starfleet and Republic vessel and since Soketh had put an inhibitor on that made everyone think he was dead the Jedi felt his loss as well, because the Jedi had felt Ashland's passing too or so they thought

"We'll stay here until the time is right, in the meantime we're going to have to learn to survive here and hopefully eventually we'll be able to send people out to fight because we are headed for war"

"Hey Soketh I think I found a good place to put the tank and...I think I discovered the remains of some Jedi but I'm not sure"

Soketh goes over and confirms that they were deceased Jedi, that's also when he discovered that he could take off the inhibitor because while he could use the Force, the same atmospheric conditions that prevented comms from leaving the surface of the planet also prevented Force users from being detected and the team had  _tried_  to use mental contact via the Force and had failed

"Okay, let's properly bury them and then...we have a lot of work ahead of us"

Several hours later the two bodies had been given a proper Jedi funeral and Ashland had been put in a spot that would never be detected. They then decided to salvage what they could of the  _New Hope_  and use the materials to make a new home and even actually a base for the day they could fight back. Due to the fact that they had unintentionally crashed a lot of damage had been done to the the hull of the ship thus the salvage operation. That's when Soketh discovered the message Ashland left for him

"You're going to feel alone for a very long time but don't give up eventually you'll be able to properly reconnect with the Republic and then the Federation, it may not seem like you're alone right now because of the fact that you're with the crew you know but eventually they will die and as a Vulcan you have a long life span. Even though you'll feel isolated and will most likely act like that even with the crew because of the fact that you're the only Sentinel available don't forget to occasionally confide in someone about your feelings, and also don't forget you don't have to be the sole leader after everyone else from the crew dies. Well that's everything I can think of this is Sentinel Portland signing off"

"Don't worry Portland I'll take care of everyone and when the time comes I'm sure the Force will let me know and we will make a great comeback, I also will never truly be alone even if I am isolated from everyone as long as I remember you're healing and will come back, and as long as I have the Force I will never be alone but don't worry I will find someone to confide in, and eventually I will recruit even if it takes me a while"

So Soketh and the crew started preparations for a fight, whether it came to them or they eventually went to it. No one in either the Republic or Federation would know it but the war between the Republic and Federation would last for seventy years while the Separatist war would last two years. By the time the fighting was over many surprises on both sides would be revealed and there would also be some very battle worn people, and one person would wake up to a familiar face in an unfamiliar time and bring the two galaxies together again. All they had to do was wait for the right time and a seal would be broken, a seal that no one except one person would know about by the time it was ready to break the seal.


End file.
